October 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

The October 1974 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 10 October with 12 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom.

Results

This was the second general election to take place in 1974, as Harold Wilson who was leading a minority government sought to secure a majority for the Labour Party. He was successful, but only by a very narrow margin, which dissipated over the course of the parliament.

In Northern Ireland, the United Ulster Unionist Council continued to support an arrangement between the Ulster Unionist Party, the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party and the Democratic Unionist Party not to contest against each other in their joint opposition to the Sunningdale Agreement, while former Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Brian Faulkner led the new Unionist Party of Northern Ireland in favour of a coalition-based executive under the Agreement. Enoch Powell, formerly an MP for Wolverhampton South West from 1959 to February 1974, was elected for Down South. Powell had left the Conservative Party in opposition to the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities.

On the nationalist side, the SDLP held its seat in Belfast West, and stood aside in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, allowing for the defeat of UUP leader Harry West by Independent Nationalist Frank Maguire.

Results^[1]^[2]^[3]
Party		MPs		Votes
Party		No.	Change	No.	%	Change
	UUP	6	1	256,053	36.5%	4.2
	Vanguard	3		92,622	13.1%	2.5
	SDLP	1	1	154,193	22.4%
	DUP	1		59,451	8.5%	0.3
	Ind. Nationalist	1	1	32,795	4.7%	4.7
	Alliance	0		44,644	6.4%	3.2
	Republican Clubs	0		21,633	3.1%	1.0
	Unionist Party NI	0		20,454	3.1%	10.0^{[a 1]}
	NI Labour	0		11,539	1.6%	0.6
	Ind. Unionist	0		4,982	0.7%	0.7
	Marxist–Leninist	0		540	0.1%	0.1
	Independent	0		3536	0.5%	3.1
Total		12		703,042	100

^ Comparison with the Pro-Assembly Unionists.

MPs elected

Constituency		MP
Antrim North	DUP	Ian Paisley
Antrim South	UUP	James Molyneaux
Armagh	UUP	Harold McCusker
Belfast East	Vanguard	William Craig
Belfast North	UUP	John Carson
Belfast South	Vanguard	Robert Bradford
Belfast West	SDLP	Gerry Fitt
Down North	UUP	Jim Kilfedder
Down South	UUP	Enoch Powell
Fermanagh and South Tyrone	Ind. Nationalist	Frank Maguire
Londonderry	UUP	William Ross
Mid Ulster	Vanguard	John Dunlop

References

^ Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0901714968.
^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1974 October". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
^ "Westminster election, 10 October 1974". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

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[4] Comparison with the Pro-Assembly Unionists.

[1] Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 30–31. ISBN 0901714968.

[2] "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 1974 October". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

[3] "Westminster election, 10 October 1974". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2019.

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