Westminster — UK General Election Results
Westminster was won by Conservative at the Jan 1910 general election, with a majority of 2,166 votes over Liberal. This page covers every general election in Westminster from 1832 to Jan 1910.
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–Jan 1910
| Election | Elected | Votes | Vote Share | Runner-up | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | Francis Burdett (Radical); John Cam Hobhouse (Radical) | 3,214 | 43.1% (top seat) | George de Lacy Evans (Radical) | 2,138 (28.4 pts) | 32.6% |
| 1835 | Francis Burdett (Radical); George de Lacy Evans (Radical) | 2,588 | 40.0% (top seat) | Thomas John Cochrane (Conservative) | 1,060 (15.4 pts) | 25.9% |
| 1837 | John Temple Leader (Radical); George de Lacy Evans (Radical) | 3,715 | 37.5% (top seat) | George Murray (Conservative) | 1,095 (10.8 pts) | 33.2% |
| 1841 | Henry John Rous (Conservative); John Temple Leader (Radical) | 3,281 | 33.8% (top seat) | George de Lacy Evans (Radical) | 23 (0.2 pts) | 35.9% |
| 1847 | George de Lacy Evans (Radical); Charles Lushington (Whig) | 2,831 | 29.1% (top seat) | Charles Cochrane (Whig) | 12 (0.1 pts) | 37.0% |
| 1852 | John Villiers Shelley (Whig); George de Lacy Evans (Radical) | 3,756 | 32.2% (top seat) | William Drogo Montagu (Conservative) | 383 (2.9 pts) | 43.8% |
| 1857 | George de Lacy Evans (Radical); John Villiers Shelley (Whig) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1859 | George de Lacy Evans (Liberal); John Villiers Shelley (Liberal) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1865 | Robert Wellesley Grosvenor (Liberal); John Stuart Mill (Liberal) | 4,525 | 35.2% (top seat) | William Henry Smith (Conservative) | 701 (5.4 pts) | 51.3% |
| 1868 | William Henry Smith (Conservative); Robert Wellesley Grosvenor (Liberal) | 6,584 | 37.3% (top seat) | John Stuart Mill (Liberal) | 300 (1.5 pts) | 54.3% |
| 1874 | William Henry Smith (Conservative); Charles Russell (Conservative) | 8,681 | 35.7% (top seat) | Thomas Fowell Buxton (Liberal) | 3,932 (15.0 pts) | 66.1% |
| 1880 | William Henry Smith (Conservative); Charles Russell (Conservative) | 8,930 | 29.3% (top seat) | John Morley (Liberal) | 2,366 (7.6 pts) | 73.6% |
| 1885 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | 3,991 | 69.7% | Edward Spencer Beesly (Liberal) | 2,255 (39.4 pts) | 74.7% |
| 1886 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1892 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | 3,548 | 64.9% | Leifchild Stratten Jones (Liberal) | 1,632 (29.9 pts) | 68.5% |
| 1895 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | Elected unopposed — no other candidate stood, no vote count on record | 0.0% | |||
| 1900 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | 2,715 | 86.1% | HH Montague-Smith (Independent Conservative) | 2,276 (72.2 pts) | 42.8% |
| 1906 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | 3,167 | 60.7% | Claud Vere Cavendish Hobart (Liberal) | 1,113 (21.3 pts) | 69.3% |
| Dec 1910 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | 3,397 | 73.4% | Harry de Pass (Liberal) | 2,169 (46.9 pts) | 63.5% |
| Jan 1910 | William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts (Conservative) | 3,917 | 69.1% | Claude Vere Cavendish Hobart (Liberal) | 2,166 (38.2 pts) | 77.8% |
Full Result Breakdown by Election
1832 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Burdett | Radical | 3,248 | 43.1% | Yes |
| John Cam Hobhouse | Radical | 3,214 | 42.6% | Yes |
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | 1,076 | 14.3% | No |
1835 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Burdett | Radical | 2,747 | 40.0% | Yes |
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | 2,588 | 37.7% | Yes |
| Thomas John Cochrane | Conservative | 1,528 | 22.3% | No |
1837 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Temple Leader | Radical | 3,793 | 37.5% | Yes |
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | 3,715 | 36.7% | Yes |
| George Murray | Conservative | 2,620 | 25.9% | No |
1841 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry John Rous | Conservative | 3,338 | 33.8% | Yes |
| John Temple Leader | Radical | 3,281 | 33.2% | Yes |
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | 3,258 | 33.0% | No |
1847 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | 3,139 | 29.1% | Yes |
| Charles Lushington | Whig | 2,831 | 26.3% | Yes |
| Charles Cochrane | Whig | 2,819 | 26.2% | No |
| William Drogo Montagu | Conservative | 1,985 | 18.4% | No |
1852 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Villiers Shelley | Whig | 4,199 | 32.2% | Yes |
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | 3,756 | 28.8% | Yes |
| William Drogo Montagu | Conservative | 3,373 | 25.9% | No |
| William Coningham | Radical | 1,716 | 13.2% | No |
1857 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George de Lacy Evans | Radical | Unopposed | Yes | |
| John Villiers Shelley | Whig | Unopposed | Yes | |
1859 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George de Lacy Evans | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
| John Villiers Shelley | Liberal | Unopposed | Yes | |
1865 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wellesley Grosvenor | Liberal | 4,534 | 35.2% | Yes |
| John Stuart Mill | Liberal | 4,525 | 35.1% | Yes |
| William Henry Smith | Conservative | 3,824 | 29.7% | No |
1868 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Henry Smith | Conservative | 7,648 | 37.3% | Yes |
| Robert Wellesley Grosvenor | Liberal | 6,584 | 32.1% | Yes |
| John Stuart Mill | Liberal | 6,284 | 30.6% | No |
1874 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Henry Smith | Conservative | 9,371 | 35.7% | Yes |
| Charles Russell | Conservative | 8,681 | 33.1% | Yes |
| Thomas Fowell Buxton | Liberal | 4,749 | 18.1% | No |
| William John Codrington | Liberal | 3,435 | 13.1% | No |
1880 (2 seats)
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Henry Smith | Conservative | 9,093 | 29.3% | Yes |
| Charles Russell | Conservative | 8,930 | 28.8% | Yes |
| John Morley | Liberal | 6,564 | 21.2% | No |
| Arthur Hobhouse | Liberal | 6,443 | 20.8% | No |
1885
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | 3,991 | 69.7% | Yes |
| Edward Spencer Beesly | Liberal | 1,736 | 30.3% | No |
1886
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1892
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | 3,548 | 64.9% | Yes |
| Leifchild Stratten Jones | Liberal | 1,916 | 35.1% | No |
1895
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | Unopposed | Yes | |
1900
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | 2,715 | 86.1% | Yes |
| HH Montague-Smith | Independent Conservative | 439 | 13.9% | No |
1906
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | 3,167 | 60.7% | Yes |
| Claud Vere Cavendish Hobart | Liberal | 2,054 | 39.3% | No |
Dec 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | 3,397 | 73.4% | Yes |
| Harry de Pass | Liberal | 1,228 | 26.6% | No |
Jan 1910
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Lehman Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts | Conservative | 3,917 | 69.1% | Yes |
| Claude Vere Cavendish Hobart | Liberal | 1,751 | 30.9% | No |
Margin Over Time
Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Westminster has been contested at 20 general elections on record since 1832. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Radical, Conservative, Whig, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Westminster in the Jan 1910 general election?
Conservative won Westminster in Jan 1910 with 3,917 votes (69.1%), a majority of 2,166 votes over Liberal in second place.
Which parties have won Westminster since 1832?
Since 1832, Westminster has been won by: Conservative, Liberal, Radical, Whig.
What was the closest result in Westminster?
The closest result on record for Westminster was 1847, when Radical beat Whig by just 12 votes (0.1 percentage points).
Did Westminster ever elect more than one MP at a time?
Yes -- like most UK constituencies before the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, Westminster 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.