United Kingdom general election, 2015 facts for kids

Ed Miliband Labour Party Leader	David Cameron Conservative Party Leader	Nick Clegg Liberal Democrat Leader

The United Kingdom general election of 2015 elected the 56th Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was held on 7 May 2015. The three main political parties after the election are the Conservatives, the Labour Party and the Scottish National Party. The Conservative Party won enough seats to form the government.

Voting took place in all 650 parliamentary constituencies of the United Kingdom, each electing one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament. Local elections also took place in most of England on the same day, but not Greater London.

Results

• 330 Conservative Party MPs were elected (up 28)
• 232 Labour Party MPs were elected (down 24)
• 8 Liberal Democrat MPs were elected (down 48)
• 56 Scottish National Party MPs were elected (up 50)
• 8 Democratic Unionist Party MPs were elected (up 1)
• 4 Sinn Féin MPs were elected (down 1)
• 3 Plaid Cymru MPs were elected (no change)
• 2 Ulster Unionist MPs were elected (up 2)
• 3 Social Democratic & Labour Party (no change)
• 1 UK Independence Party MP was elected (down 1)
• 1 Green Party of England and Wales MP was elected (change of 0)
• 1 independent MP

Also, the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, who does not have a political party, was re-elected.

Some prominent Labour MPs lost their seats including the Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and the leader of the Scottish Labour party Jim Murphy.

Several senior Liberal Democrat MPs who had served in the coalition government also lost their seats, including business secretary Vince Cable, energy secretary Ed Davey and chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander.

Aftermath

The Conservative party gained 330 seats and managed to form a majority government and David Cameron continues as the Prime Minister. Miliband, Clegg and Nigel Farage all resigned as leaders of their parties. Jim Murphy also resigned as leader of Scottish Labour.

Images for kids

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  David Cameron

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  Nicola Sturgeon

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  Nick Clegg

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  A church used as a polling station in Bath on 7 May 2015

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  A sign in Woking showing opening hours of polling stations, including the advice that people queueing outside polling stations at 10.00 pm "will be entitled to apply for a ballot paper"

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  The Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron stood for a second-term in office.

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  Ed Miliband was leader of the opposition and leader of the Labour Party after winning a leadership election against his brother David Miliband.

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  Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats showed a great fall in the polls after entering a coalition government with the Conservatives.

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  UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage stood in the South Thanet constituency.

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  Nicola Sturgeon is the fifth First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Scottish National Party, in office since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position.

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  Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. She contested in Holborn and St Pancras.

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  Polling results for the 2015 UK General Election, compared to the actual result

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  Turn out

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  Conservatives

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  Labour

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  UKIP

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  Liberal Democrat

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  Green

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones generales del Reino Unido de 2015 para niños