The 1868 United Kingdom general election was held between 17 November to 7 December 1868. The Liberal Party, under William Ewart Gladstone, defeated the governing Conservative minority government, led by Benjamin Disraeli.

This was the first general election to be held after the passage of the Reform Act 1867, which enfranchised many male householders, thus greatly increasing the number of men who could vote in elections in the United Kingdom. It was the first election held in the United Kingdom in which more than a million votes were cast; nearly triple the number of votes were cast compared to the previous election in 1865.

The establishment of the Church of Ireland was a dominant issue in the 1868 general election. Earlier that year, the House of Lords blocked the Established Church (Ireland) Bill, which would have imposed restrictions on the Irish Church. Gladstone's Liberal government, which favored disestablishment, used its parliamentary majority to pass the Irish Church Act the following year.

This was the last general election at which all seats were taken by only the two leading parties, although the parties at the time were loose coalitions and party affiliation was not listed on registration papers.

Results

Voting summary

Seats summary

Regional results

Great Britain Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes % % change 515 80 321 7 1,374,315 61.4 383 65 234 10 864,551 38.6 1 0 0 969 0.0 Total 899 145 555 3 2,239,835 100

England Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes % % change 412 46 244 7 1,192,098 59.7 334 54 211 2 803,637 40.2 1 0 0 969 0.1 Total 747 100 455 9 1,996,704 100

Scotland Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes % % change 70 23 51 9 125,356 82.5 20 3 7 4 23,985 17.5 Total 90 26 58 5 149,341 100

Wales Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes % % change 29 10 23 5 52,256 62.1 20 4 10 4 29,866 37.9 Total 49 14 33 1 82,122 100

Ireland

Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes % % change 85 41 66 8 54,461 57.9 +2.3 53 26 37 8 38,765 41.9 -2.5 2 0 0 188 0.2 +0.2 Total 140 67 103 149,341 100

Universities Party Candidates Unopposed Seats Seats change Votes % % change 9 4 6 7,063 55.4 4 1 3 3 4,605 44.6 Total 13 5 9 11,668 100

See also List of MPs elected in the 1868 United Kingdom general election

Notes

References

(covers 1860 to 1890).

External links Spartacus: Political Parties and Election Results: 1868 General Election UK Parliament - 1868 General Election