1983 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland
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17 seats in Northern Ireland of the 650 seats in the House of Commons | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1983 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 9 June with 17 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom. This was an increase of five seats, after the House of Commons (Redistribution of Seats) Act 1979 had come into effect to account for the reduced representation after direct rule had been imposed since 1972. New constituencies were drawn up in 1982.[1]
Results
The Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher as prime minister won another term in government.
The main beneficiaries of the increase of seats was the Ulster Unionist Party, now led by James Molyneaux. The SDLP lost a seat held by former leader Gerry Fitt to Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin, but the new SDLP leader John Hume gained a seat.
Party | MPs | Votes | ||||
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No. | Change | No. | % | Change | ||
Ulster Unionist | 11 | 6 | 259,952 | 34.0% | 2.6 | |
Democratic Unionist | 3 | 152,749 | 20.0% | 9.8 | ||
Social Democratic and Labour | 1 | 137,012 | 17.9% | 0.3 | ||
Sinn Féin | 1 | 1 | 102,701 | 13.4% | 13.4 | |
UPUP | 1 | New | 22,681 | 3.0% | 3.0 | |
Alliance | 0 | 61,275 | 8.0% | 3.9 | ||
Workers' Party | 0 | 14,650 | 1.9% | 0.2 | ||
Independent Socialist | 0 | 10,326 | 1.3% | 1.3 | ||
Independent DUP | 0 | 1,134 | 0.1% | 1.3 | ||
Independent | 0 | 2,265 | 0.3% | 0.1 | ||
Total | 17 | 5 | 801734 | 100 |
MPs elected
Constituency | Party | MP | |
---|---|---|---|
Antrim East | Ulster Unionist | Roy Beggs | |
Antrim North | Democratic Unionist | Ian Paisley | |
Antrim South | Ulster Unionist | Clifford Forsythe | |
Belfast East | Democratic Unionist | Peter Robinson | |
Belfast North | Ulster Unionist | Cecil Walker | |
Belfast South | Ulster Unionist | Martin Smyth | |
Belfast West | Sinn Féin | Gerry Adams | |
Down North | UPUP | Jim Kilfedder | |
Down South | Ulster Unionist | Enoch Powell | |
Fermanagh and South Tyrone | Ulster Unionist | Ken Maginnis | |
Foyle | Social Democratic and Labour | John Hume | |
Lagan Valley | Ulster Unionist | James Molyneaux | |
Londonderry East | Ulster Unionist | William Ross | |
Mid Ulster | Democratic Unionist | William McCrea | |
Newry and Armagh | Ulster Unionist | Jim Nicholson | |
Strangford | Ulster Unionist | John Taylor | |
Upper Bann | Ulster Unionist | Harold McCusker |
By-elections
In December 1985, all Unionist MPs resigned their seats in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement and sought re-election in by-elections. These resulted in a loss of one seat to the SDLP
References
- ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (Northern Ireland) Order 1982 (No. 1838)" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. 22 December 1982. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 33–37. ISBN 0901714968.
- ^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 9 June 1983". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Westminster election, 9 June 1983". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
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- Results
- MPs elected
- Scotland
- Opinion polling
- Incumbent Prime Minister: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)
- Appointed Prime Minister: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)
the House of Commons
- Conservative (Margaret Thatcher)
- Labour (Michael Foot)
- SDP–Liberal Alliance
- David Steel - Liberal
- Roy Jenkins - SDP
- Ulster Unionist Party (James Molyneaux )
- Democratic Unionist Party (Ian Paisley)
- Scottish National Party (Gordon Wilson)
- Plaid Cymru (Dafydd Wigley)
- Social Democratic and Labour Party (John Hume)
- Sinn Féin (Ruairí Ó Brádaigh)
- Ulster Popular Unionist Party (James Kilfedder)
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