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Reading — UK General Election Results

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

Reading was won by Conservative at the 1970 general election, with a majority of 1,154 votes over Labour. This page covers every general election in Reading from 1832 to 1970.

This constituency elected more than one MP at once in some years. Before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (and in a shrinking number of boroughs through 1948), most UK constituencies elected two or more MPs together by "multi-member plurality" (block vote): each elector could cast one vote per available seat, and the top vote-getters overall were all elected. In those elections below, "Elected" lists every MP returned, "Votes" is the count that secured the last seat, and "Majority" is the gap between that seat and the first candidate who missed out.

Full Election History, 1832–1970

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1832 Charles Fyshe Palmer (Whig); Charles Russell (Conservative) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1835 Thomas Noon Talfourd (Radical); Charles Russell (Conservative) 441 43.8% (top seat) Benjamin Oliveira (Whig) 57 (3.9 pts) 73.3%
1837 Thomas Noon Talfourd (Radical); Charles Fyshe Palmer (Whig) 457 34.1% (top seat) Charles Russell (Conservative) 9 (0.7 pts) 66.3%
1841 Charles Russell (Conservative); Henry Charles Cadogan (Conservative) 564 29.4% (top seat) Thomas Mills (Whig) 154 (7.9 pts) 81.3%
1847 Francis Pigott (Whig); Thomas Noon Talfourd (Radical) 596 29.1% (top seat) Charles Russell (Conservative) 75 (3.6 pts) 84.2%
1852 Francis Pigott (Whig); Henry Singer Keating (Whig) 631 39.6% (top seat) Samuel Auchmuty Dickson (Conservative) 113 (5.9 pts) 68.0%
1857 Francis Pigott (Whig); Henry Singer Keating (Whig) Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record 0.0%
1859 Francis Pigott (Liberal); Henry Singer Keating (Liberal) 666 38.6% (top seat) Ralph Augustus Benson (Conservative) 122 (6.2 pts) 67.9%
1865 Francis Henry Goldsmid (Liberal); George John Shaw-Lefevre (Liberal) 714 38.6% (top seat) Stephen Tucker (Conservative) 270 (14.3 pts) 53.3%
1868 Francis Henry Goldsmid (Liberal); George John Shaw-Lefevre (Liberal) 1,618 38.5% (top seat) Robert Walter Carden (Conservative) 639 (15.1 pts) 65.5%
1874 George John Shaw-Lefevre (Liberal); Francis Henry Goldsmid (Liberal) 1,791 26.1% (top seat) Richard Attenborough (Conservative) 139 (2.0 pts) 83.4%
1880 George Palmer (Liberal); George John Shaw-Lefevre (Liberal) 2,286 36.6% (top seat) Albert George Sandeman (Conservative) 219 (3.2 pts) 67.2%
1885 Charles Townshend Murdoch (Conservative) 3,518 50.9% George John Shaw-Lefevre (Liberal) 129 (1.9 pts) 91.9%
1886 Charles Townshend Murdoch (Conservative) 3,378 50.9% William Berkeley Monck (Liberal) 116 (1.8 pts) 88.4%
1892 George William Palmer (Liberal) 3,990 51.9% Charles Townshend Murdoch (Conservative) 290 (3.8 pts) 91.1%
1895 Charles Townshend Murdoch (Conservative) 4,278 52.1% George William Palmer (Liberal) 351 (4.3 pts) 90.1%
1900 George William Palmer (Liberal) 4,592 51.3% Charles Edward Keyser (Conservative) 239 (2.7 pts) 88.1%
1906 Rufus Daniel Isaacs (Liberal) 5,407 53.4% George Horace Johnstone (Conservative) 697 (6.9 pts) 91.6%
Jan 1910 Rufus Daniel Isaacs (Liberal) 5,264 51.0% Alexander Leslie Renton (Liberal Unionist) 207 (2.0 pts) 93.7%
Dec 1910 Rufus Daniel Isaacs (Liberal) 5,094 50.5% Leslie Orme Wilson (Conservative) 99 (1.0 pts) 91.6%
1918 Leslie Orme Wilson (Unionist) 15,204 53.9% Thomas Charles Morris (Labour) 6,794 (24.1 pts) 62.2%
1922 Edward Cecil George Cadogan (Unionist) 16,082 42.8% Derwent Hall Caine (Labour) 1,760 (4.7 pts) 83.6%
1923 Somerville Hastings (Labour) 16,657 44.8% Edward Cecil George Cadogan (Unionist) 1,542 (4.2 pts) 82.1%
1924 Herbert Geraint Williams (Unionist) 21,338 53.8% Somerville Hastings (Labour) 3,001 (7.6 pts) 85.8%
1929 Somerville Hastings (Labour) 23,281 43.6% Herbert Geraint Williams (Unionist) 852 (1.6 pts) 85.0%
1931 Alfred Bakewell Howitt (Conservative) 34,439 63.1% Somerville Hastings (Labour) 15,162 (27.8 pts) 84.0%
1935 Alfred Bakewell Howitt (Conservative) 27,540 51.8% Somerville Hastings (Labour) 4,591 (8.6 pts) 79.2%
1945 Ian Mikardo (Labour) 30,465 48.8% William Ewart Clarke McIlroy (Conservative) 6,390 (10.2 pts) 73.3%
1955 Ian Mikardo (Labour) 25,228 50.2% Frederic Mackarness Bennett (Conservative) 238 (0.5 pts) 84.1%
1959 Peter Frank Hannibal Emery (Conservative) 26,314 54.0% Ian Mikardo (Labour) 3,942 (8.1 pts) 82.8%
1964 Peter Frank Hannibal Emery (Conservative) 20,815 43.9% John Michael Hubert Lee (Labour) 10 (0.0 pts) 79.8%
1966 John Lee (Labour) 25,338 51.0% Peter Emery (Conservative) 4,133 (8.3 pts) 84.0%
1970 Gerard Vaughan (Conservative) 23,598 50.3% John Lee (Labour) 1,154 (2.5 pts) 74.1%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1832 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Fyshe Palmer Whig Unopposed Yes
Charles Russell Conservative Unopposed Yes

1835 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Noon Talfourd Radical 64343.8% Yes
Charles Russell Conservative 44130.0% Yes
Benjamin Oliveira Whig 38426.2% No

1837 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Noon Talfourd Radical 46834.1% Yes
Charles Fyshe Palmer Whig 45733.3% Yes
Charles Russell Conservative 44832.6% No

1841 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Russell Conservative 57029.4% Yes
Henry Charles Cadogan Conservative 56429.1% Yes
Thomas Mills Whig 41021.1% No
William Tooke Whig 39720.5% No

1847 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Pigott Whig 61429.1% Yes
Thomas Noon Talfourd Radical 59628.3% Yes
Charles Russell Conservative 52124.7% No
Henry Charles Cadogan Conservative 37617.8% No

1852 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Pigott Whig 75339.6% Yes
Henry Singer Keating Whig 63133.2% Yes
Samuel Auchmuty Dickson Conservative 51827.2% No

1857 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Pigott Whig Unopposed Yes
Henry Singer Keating Whig Unopposed Yes

1859 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Pigott Liberal 76138.6% Yes
Henry Singer Keating Liberal 66633.8% Yes
Ralph Augustus Benson Conservative 54427.6% No

1865 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Henry Goldsmid Liberal 72738.6% Yes
George John Shaw-Lefevre Liberal 71437.9% Yes
Stephen Tucker Conservative 44423.6% No

1868 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Francis Henry Goldsmid Liberal 1,62938.5% Yes
George John Shaw-Lefevre Liberal 1,61838.3% Yes
Robert Walter Carden Conservative 97923.2% No

1874 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George John Shaw-Lefevre Liberal 1,79426.1% Yes
Francis Henry Goldsmid Liberal 1,79126.1% Yes
Richard Attenborough Conservative 1,65224.1% No
William Dalziel Mackenzie Conservative 1,63123.7% No

1880 (2 seats)

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Palmer Liberal 2,51336.6% Yes
George John Shaw-Lefevre Liberal 2,28633.3% Yes
Albert George Sandeman Conservative 2,06730.1% No

1885

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Townshend Murdoch Conservative 3,51850.9% Yes
George John Shaw-Lefevre Liberal 3,38949.1% No

1886

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Townshend Murdoch Conservative 3,37850.9% Yes
William Berkeley Monck Liberal 3,26249.1% No

1892

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George William Palmer Liberal 3,99051.9% Yes
Charles Townshend Murdoch Conservative 3,70048.1% No

1895

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Charles Townshend Murdoch Conservative 4,27852.1% Yes
George William Palmer Liberal 3,92747.9% No

1900

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George William Palmer Liberal 4,59251.3% Yes
Charles Edward Keyser Conservative 4,35348.7% No

1906

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Rufus Daniel Isaacs Liberal 5,40753.4% Yes
George Horace Johnstone Conservative 4,71046.6% No

Jan 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Rufus Daniel Isaacs Liberal 5,26451.0% Yes
Alexander Leslie Renton Liberal Unionist 5,05749.0% No

Dec 1910

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Rufus Daniel Isaacs Liberal 5,09450.5% Yes
Leslie Orme Wilson Conservative 4,99549.5% No

1918

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Leslie Orme Wilson Unionist 15,20453.9% Yes
Thomas Charles Morris Labour 8,41029.8% No
Frederick Thoresby Liberal 3,14311.1% No
Lorenzo Edward Quelch National Socialist 1,4625.2% No

1922

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Edward Cecil George Cadogan Unionist 16,08242.8% Yes
Derwent Hall Caine Labour 14,32238.1% No
Henry Delacombe Roome Liberal 7,21219.2% No

1923

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Somerville Hastings Labour 16,65744.8% Yes
Edward Cecil George Cadogan Unionist 15,11540.7% No
Frederick Maddison Liberal 5,40614.5% No

1924

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Herbert Geraint Williams Unionist 21,33853.8% Yes
Somerville Hastings Labour 18,33746.2% No

1929

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Somerville Hastings Labour 23,28143.6% Yes
Herbert Geraint Williams Unionist 22,42942.0% No
Dugald Macfadyen Liberal 7,73314.5% No

1931

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Bakewell Howitt Conservative 34,43963.1% Yes
Somerville Hastings Labour 19,27735.3% No
Eric Rider Troward New Party 8611.6% No

1935

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Alfred Bakewell Howitt Conservative 27,54051.8% Yes
Somerville Hastings Labour 22,94943.2% No
John William Todd Liberal 2,6855.0% No

1945

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ian Mikardo Labour 30,46548.8% Yes
William Ewart Clarke McIlroy Conservative 24,07538.6% No
Robert Nevill Tronchin James Liberal 7,83412.6% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Ian Mikardo Labour 25,22850.2% Yes
Frederic Mackarness Bennett Conservative 24,99049.8% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Peter Frank Hannibal Emery Conservative 26,31454.0% Yes
Ian Mikardo Labour 22,37246.0% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Peter Frank Hannibal Emery Conservative 20,81543.9% Yes
John Michael Hubert Lee Labour 20,80543.9% No
Michael F Burns Liberal 5,75912.2% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
John Lee Labour 25,33851.0% Yes
Peter Emery Conservative 21,20542.7% No
Ernest Palfrey Liberal 3,1276.3% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Gerard Vaughan Conservative 23,59850.3% Yes
John Lee Labour 22,44447.8% No
Alec Boothroyd Democratic Party 8671.8% No

Margin Over Time

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

1835: Radical margin 3.9 pts 1837: Radical margin 0.7 pts 1841: Conservative margin 7.9 pts 1847: Whig margin 3.6 pts 1852: Whig margin 5.9 pts 1859: Liberal margin 6.2 pts 1865: Liberal margin 14.3 pts 1868: Liberal margin 15.1 pts 1874: Liberal margin 2.0 pts 1880: Liberal margin 3.2 pts 1885: Conservative margin 1.9 pts 1886: Conservative margin 1.8 pts 1892: Liberal margin 3.8 pts 1895: Conservative margin 4.3 pts 1900: Liberal margin 2.7 pts 1906: Liberal margin 6.9 pts Jan 1910: Liberal margin 2.0 pts Dec 1910: Liberal margin 1.0 pts 1918: Unionist margin 24.1 pts 1922: Unionist margin 4.7 pts 1923: Labour margin 4.2 pts 1924: Unionist margin 7.6 pts 1929: Labour margin 1.6 pts 1931: Conservative margin 27.8 pts 1935: Conservative margin 8.6 pts 1945: Labour margin 10.2 pts 1955: Labour margin 0.5 pts 1959: Conservative margin 8.1 pts 1964: Conservative margin 0.0 pts 1966: Labour margin 8.3 pts 1970: Conservative margin 2.5 pts 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 Jan 1910 Dec 1910 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970

Trend

Reading has been contested at 33 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Whig, Conservative, Radical, Liberal, Unionist, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Reading in the 1970 general election?

Conservative won Reading in 1970 with 23,598 votes (50.3%), a majority of 1,154 votes over Labour in second place.

Which parties have won Reading since 1832?

Since 1832, Reading has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Radical, Unionist, Whig.

What was the closest result in Reading?

The closest result on record for Reading was 1964, when Conservative beat Labour by just 10 votes (0.0 percentage points).

Did Reading ever elect more than one MP at a time?

Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Reading elected multiple MPs at once in some elections on this page (a system called multi-member plurality, or 'block vote'), each voter casting one vote per available seat.

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