On 18 June 1970, the 1970 United Kingdom general election was held in Northern Ireland, to elect all 630 members of the House of Commons, with 12 constituencies being in Northern Ireland.
This was the first general election in which people could vote from the age of eighteen years, after passage of the Representation of the People Act the previous year, and the first UK general election in which party affiliations of candidates were put on the ballot papers. The closing of the polls was also extended from 9.00 pm to 10.00 pm.
The Ulster Unionists lost seats to the Protestant Unionist Party led by Ian Paisley, moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, and to Unity, a nationalist organisation which had won a by-election in 1969.
In the election as a whole, the Labour Party failed to return to government and the Conservative Party, which included the Ulster Unionists, formed a government led by Edward Heath as Prime Minister. This was the last parliament where the UUP took the Conservative whip in the House of Commons, breaking with them after the Parliament of Northern Ireland was suspended by the Northern Ireland (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972.
Candidates
Below is a table summarising the candidates of the 1970 general election in Northern Ireland.
Affiliation CandidatesUlster Unionist Party 12Northern Ireland Labour Party 7Unity 5Ulster Liberal Party 4Independent Unionist 3Protestant Unionist Party 2National Democratic Party 2Independent 2Republican Labour Party 1Derry Labour 1National Socialist 1Total 40
Results
+PartySeatsAggregate Votes Total Gains Losses Net Of total (%) Total Of total (%) Change (%) 8 0 3 3 66.7 422,041 54.2 7.6 2 2 0 2 16.7 140,930 18.1 15.6 0 0 0 — 98,194 12.6 0.4 1 colspan="2" 1 8.3 35,303 4.5 1 0 0 8.3 30,649 3.9 0.5 0 colspan="3" — 17,787 2.3 0 0 0 — 12,005 1.4 3.5 0 colspan="3" — 10,349 1.3 Derry Labour 0 colspan="3" — 7,565 0.1 0 colspan="3" — 4,092 0.5 National Socialist 0 colspan="3" — 198 0.0 Total 12 0 100.0 779,113 100.0 0.0 Registered voters, and turnout 1,017,193 76.6 10.5
MPs elected Constituency Party MPAntrim North Ian PaisleyAntrim South James MolyneauxArmagh John MaginnisBelfast East Stanley McMasterBelfast North Stratton MillsBelfast South Rafton PounderBelfast West Gerry FittDown North Jim KilfedderDown South Lawrence OrrFermanagh and South Tyrone Francis McManusLondonderry Robin Chichester-ClarkMid Ulster Bernadette Devlin
Notes
See also 1970 United Kingdom general election in England 1970 United Kingdom general election in Scotland 1970 United Kingdom general election in Wales
References