Inverness — UK General Election Results
Inverness was won by Liberal at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 4,157 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Inverness from 1918 to 1979.
Full Election History, 1918–1979
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Thomas Brash Morison (Liberal) | 7,991 | 73.2% | George James Bruce (Highland Land League) | 5,061 (46.3 pts) | 37.3% |
| 1922 | Murdoch Macdonald (National Liberal) | 9,796 | 52.7% | Alexander McKenzie Livingstone (Liberal) | 1,011 (5.4 pts) | 54.3% |
| 1923 | Murdoch Macdonald (Liberal) | 10,194 | 65.4% | Andrew Kinloch (Labour) | 4,809 (30.9 pts) | 46.9% |
| 1924 | Murdoch Macdonald (Liberal) | 11,468 | 62.6% | Thomas Henderson (Labour) | 4,605 (25.1 pts) | 54.1% |
| 1929 | Murdoch Macdonald (Liberal) | 14,042 | 55.3% | David Norman Mackay (Labour) | 2,673 (10.5 pts) | 58.6% |
| 1931 | Murdoch MacDonald (National Liberal) | 18,702 | 65.3% | David Norman Mackay (Labour) | 12,761 (44.5 pts) | 61.9% |
| 1935 | Murdoch Macdonald (National Liberal) | 14,985 | 56.4% | Hugh Fraser (Labour) | 7,688 (28.9 pts) | 57.8% |
| 1945 | Murdoch MacDonald (Independent Liberal) | 12,090 | 43.3% | Niall George Maclean (Labour) | 2,435 (8.7 pts) | 59.0% |
| 1950 | Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton (Unionist) | 16,056 | 45.5% | Desmond Nethersole-Thompson (Labour) | 4,820 (13.7 pts) | 68.6% |
| 1951 | Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton (Unionist) | 22,497 | 64.5% | Thomas Alexander MacNair (Labour) | 10,136 (29.1 pts) | 69.3% |
| 1955 | Neil Loudon Desmond McLean (Unionist) | 14,352 | 41.4% | John MacDonald Bannerman (Liberal) | 966 (2.8 pts) | 67.6% |
| 1959 | Neil Loudon Desmond McLean (Unionist) | 15,728 | 44.4% | John MacDonald Bannerman (Liberal) | 4,075 (11.5 pts) | 71.6% |
| 1964 | David Russell Johnston (Liberal) | 14,235 | 39.8% | Neil Loudon Desmond McLean (Unionist) | 2,136 (6.0 pts) | 71.4% |
| 1966 | David Johnston (Liberal) | 14,356 | 39.5% | David Wathen (Conservative) | 2,395 (6.6 pts) | 72.1% |
| 1970 | David Johnston (Liberal) | 15,052 | 38.4% | David Anthony Wathen (Conservative) | 2,674 (6.8 pts) | 72.3% |
| Feb 1974 | David Johnston (Liberal) | 16,903 | 38.7% | Robert Ewart Henderson (Conservative) | 5,223 (12.0 pts) | 76.7% |
| Oct 1974 | David Johnston (Liberal) | 13,128 | 32.4% | Donald Barr (SNP) | 1,134 (2.8 pts) | 70.5% |
| 1979 | David Johnston (Liberal) | 15,716 | 33.7% | Richard Gordon (Conservative) | 4,157 (8.9 pts) | 74.4% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1918
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Brash Morison | Liberal | 7,991 | 73.2% | Yes |
| George James Bruce | Highland Land League | 2,930 | 26.8% | No |
1922
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch Macdonald | National Liberal | 9,796 | 52.7% | Yes |
| Alexander McKenzie Livingstone | Liberal | 8,785 | 47.3% | No |
1923
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch Macdonald | Liberal | 10,194 | 65.4% | Yes |
| Andrew Kinloch | Labour | 5,385 | 34.6% | No |
1924
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch Macdonald | Liberal | 11,468 | 62.6% | Yes |
| Thomas Henderson | Labour | 6,863 | 37.4% | No |
1929
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch Macdonald | Liberal | 14,042 | 55.3% | Yes |
| David Norman Mackay | Labour | 11,369 | 44.7% | No |
1931
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch MacDonald | National Liberal | 18,702 | 65.3% | Yes |
| David Norman Mackay | Labour | 5,941 | 20.7% | No |
| John MacDonald MacCormick | National Party of Scotland | 4,016 | 14.0% | No |
1935
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch Macdonald | National Liberal | 14,985 | 56.4% | Yes |
| Hugh Fraser | Labour | 7,297 | 27.5% | No |
| John MacDonald MacCormick | SNP | 4,273 | 16.1% | No |
1945
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murdoch MacDonald | Independent Liberal | 12,090 | 43.3% | Yes |
| Niall George Maclean | Labour | 9,655 | 34.6% | No |
| John MacDonald MacCormick | Liberal | 6,200 | 22.2% | No |
1950
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton | Unionist | 16,056 | 45.5% | Yes |
| Desmond Nethersole-Thompson | Labour | 11,236 | 31.8% | No |
| John MacDonald Bannerman | Liberal | 8,023 | 22.7% | No |
1951
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malcolm Avondale Douglas-Hamilton | Unionist | 22,497 | 64.5% | Yes |
| Thomas Alexander MacNair | Labour | 12,361 | 35.5% | No |
1955
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Loudon Desmond McLean | Unionist | 14,352 | 41.4% | Yes |
| John MacDonald Bannerman | Liberal | 13,386 | 38.7% | No |
| Desmond Nethersole-Thompson | Labour | 6,891 | 19.9% | No |
1959
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neil Loudon Desmond McLean | Unionist | 15,728 | 44.4% | Yes |
| John MacDonald Bannerman | Liberal | 11,653 | 32.9% | No |
| Ian John Forgan Coulter | Labour | 8,073 | 22.8% | No |
1964
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Russell Johnston | Liberal | 14,235 | 39.8% | Yes |
| Neil Loudon Desmond McLean | Unionist | 12,099 | 33.9% | No |
| Allan Campbell McLean | Labour | 9,402 | 26.3% | No |
1966
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Johnston | Liberal | 14,356 | 39.5% | Yes |
| David Wathen | Conservative | 11,961 | 32.9% | No |
| Allan McLean | Labour | 10,069 | 27.7% | No |
1970
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Johnston | Liberal | 15,052 | 38.4% | Yes |
| David Anthony Wathen | Conservative | 12,378 | 31.5% | No |
| Donald Macauley | Labour | 9,038 | 23.0% | No |
| Athole Christina Cameron | SNP | 2,781 | 7.1% | No |
Feb 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Johnston | Liberal | 16,903 | 38.7% | Yes |
| Robert Ewart Henderson | Conservative | 11,680 | 26.8% | No |
| Robert Mckay Cameron | Labour | 7,816 | 17.9% | No |
| Rob Gibson | SNP | 7,258 | 16.6% | No |
Oct 1974
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Johnston | Liberal | 13,128 | 32.4% | Yes |
| Donald Barr | SNP | 11,994 | 29.6% | No |
| Robert Ewart Henderson | Conservative | 8,922 | 22.0% | No |
| John William Lindsay Cumming | Labour | 6,332 | 15.6% | No |
| Uilleam Bell | Fine Gael | 155 | 0.4% | No |
1979
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Johnston | Liberal | 15,716 | 33.7% | Yes |
| Richard Gordon | Conservative | 11,559 | 24.8% | No |
| Donald Barr | SNP | 9,603 | 20.6% | No |
| Brian Wilson | Labour | 9,586 | 20.6% | No |
| Uilleam Bell | Fine Gael | 112 | 0.2% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Inverness has been contested at 18 general elections on record since 1918. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, National Liberal, Independent Liberal, Unionist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Inverness in the 1979 general election?
Liberal won Inverness in 1979 with 15,716 votes (33.7%), a majority of 4,157 votes over Conservative in second place.
Which parties have won Inverness since 1918?
Since 1918, Inverness has been won by: Independent Liberal, Liberal, National Liberal, Unionist.
What was the closest result in Inverness?
The closest result on record for Inverness was 1955, when Unionist beat Liberal by just 966 votes (2.8 percentage points).