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Middleton and Prestwich — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Middleton and Prestwich was won by Labour at the 1979 general election, with a majority of 1,098 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Middleton and Prestwich from 1918 to 1979.

Full Election History, 1918–1979

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1918 William Ryland Dent Adkins (Liberal) 14,831 69.5% John Battle (Labour) 8,330 (39.1 pts) 58.3%
1922 William Ryland Dent Adkins (National Liberal) 14,832 58.5% Matthew Burrow Farr (Labour) 4,327 (17.1 pts) 68.4%
1923 Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman (Unionist) 10,029 36.6% William Ryland Dent Adkins (Liberal) 529 (1.9 pts) 72.8%
1924 Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman (Unionist) 16,005 51.3% Matthew Burrow Farr (Labour) 7,563 (24.2 pts) 81.7%
1929 Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman (Unionist) 16,629 40.0% Matthew Burrow Farr (Labour) 2,261 (5.5 pts) 79.8%
1931 Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman (Conservative) 31,702 74.6% Thomas McCall (Labour) 20,906 (49.2 pts) 77.9%
1935 Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman (Conservative) 27,369 61.1% Joseph Nuttall (Labour) 9,971 (22.3 pts) 74.5%
1945 Ernest Everard Gates (Conservative) 26,669 50.7% Mabel Tylecote (Labour) 761 (1.5 pts) 75.3%
1950 Ernest Everard Gates (Conservative) 24,521 50.2% Charles Stanley Hilditch (Labour) 7,805 (16.0 pts) 86.9%
1951 John Denman Barlow (Conservative) 26,073 54.1% Albert Knight (Labour) 9,750 (20.2 pts) 85.0%
1955 Sir John Denman Barlow (Conservative) 27,096 61.5% Edmund Emanuel Dell (Labour) 10,107 (22.9 pts) 75.5%
1959 Sir John Denman Barlow (Conservative) 31,416 59.7% Frederick G Barton (Labour) 10,168 (19.3 pts) 80.0%
1964 Sir John Denman Barlow (Conservative) 22,192 40.1% Ronald Leighton (Labour) 2,126 (3.8 pts) 79.4%
1966 Denis Coe (Labour) 23,938 44.7% Sir John Barlow (Conservative) 3,817 (7.1 pts) 78.0%
1970 Alan Haselhurst (Conservative) 25,030 43.8% Denis Coe (Labour) 1,042 (1.8 pts) 74.5%
Feb 1974 James Callaghan (Labour) 24,357 39.8% Alan Haselhurst (Conservative) 517 (0.9 pts) 80.4%
Oct 1974 James Callaghan (Labour) 26,639 45.8% Alan Darcy Fearn (Conservative) 3,714 (6.4 pts) 75.8%
1979 James Callaghan (Labour) 27,918 45.8% James Graham Park (Conservative) 1,098 (1.8 pts) 77.6%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Ryland Dent Adkins Liberal 14,83169.5% Yes
John Battle Labour 6,50130.5% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
William Ryland Dent Adkins National Liberal 14,83258.5% Yes
Matthew Burrow Farr Labour 10,50541.5% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman Unionist 10,02936.6% Yes
William Ryland Dent Adkins Liberal 9,50034.7% No
Matthew Burrow Farr Labour 7,84928.7% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman Unionist 16,00551.3% Yes
Matthew Burrow Farr Labour 8,44227.0% No
William Ryland Dent Adkins Liberal 6,76321.7% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman Unionist 16,62940.0% Yes
Matthew Burrow Farr Labour 14,36834.6% No
David Halliwell Liberal 10,52625.3% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman Conservative 31,70274.6% Yes
Thomas McCall Labour 10,79625.4% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alexander Nairne Stewart Sandeman Conservative 27,36961.1% Yes
Joseph Nuttall Labour 17,39838.9% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Everard Gates Conservative 26,66950.7% Yes
Mabel Tylecote Labour 25,90849.3% No

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ernest Everard Gates Conservative 24,52150.2% Yes
Charles Stanley Hilditch Labour 16,71634.3% No
Ernest Harrison Liberal 7,56415.5% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Denman Barlow Conservative 26,07354.1% Yes
Albert Knight Labour 16,32333.9% No
Ernest Harrison Liberal 5,75712.0% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir John Denman Barlow Conservative 27,09661.5% Yes
Edmund Emanuel Dell Labour 16,98938.5% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir John Denman Barlow Conservative 31,41659.7% Yes
Frederick G Barton Labour 21,24840.3% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir John Denman Barlow Conservative 22,19240.1% Yes
Ronald Leighton Labour 20,06636.3% No
Samuel Crilly Liberal 13,06423.6% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Denis Coe Labour 23,93844.7% Yes
Sir John Barlow Conservative 20,12137.6% No
Samuel Crilly Liberal 9,45717.7% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alan Haselhurst Conservative 25,03043.8% Yes
Denis Coe Labour 23,98841.9% No
Samuel Crilly Liberal 8,17514.3% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Callaghan Labour 24,35739.8% Yes
Alan Haselhurst Conservative 23,84039.0% No
Philip Harrison Liberal 12,94621.2% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Callaghan Labour 26,63945.8% Yes
Alan Darcy Fearn Conservative 22,92539.4% No
James Clarney Liberal 8,34014.3% No
Harold Smith Campaign for a More Prosperous Britain 2340.4% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
James Callaghan Labour 27,91845.8% Yes
James Graham Park Conservative 26,82044.0% No
David Whatmough Liberal 5,8889.7% No
Stanley Andrews National Front 3500.6% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1918: Liberal margin 39.1 pts 1922: National Liberal margin 17.1 pts 1923: Unionist margin 1.9 pts 1924: Unionist margin 24.2 pts 1929: Unionist margin 5.5 pts 1931: Conservative margin 49.2 pts 1935: Conservative margin 22.3 pts 1945: Conservative margin 1.5 pts 1950: Conservative margin 16.0 pts 1951: Conservative margin 20.2 pts 1955: Conservative margin 22.9 pts 1959: Conservative margin 19.3 pts 1964: Conservative margin 3.8 pts 1966: Labour margin 7.1 pts 1970: Conservative margin 1.8 pts Feb 1974: Labour margin 0.9 pts Oct 1974: Labour margin 6.4 pts 1979: Labour margin 1.8 pts 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979

Trend

Middleton and Prestwich has been contested at 18 general elections on record since 1918. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Liberal, National Liberal, Unionist, Conservative, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Middleton and Prestwich in the 1979 general election?

Labour won Middleton and Prestwich in 1979 with 27,918 votes (45.8%), a majority of 1,098 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Middleton and Prestwich since 1918?

Since 1918, Middleton and Prestwich has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, National Liberal, Unionist.

What was the closest result in Middleton and Prestwich?

The closest result on record for Middleton and Prestwich was Feb 1974, when Labour beat Conservative by just 517 votes (0.9 percentage points).

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