/guid/9202a8c04000641f800000000004604a rename

The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous...

The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992. The Labour Party won the general election in a landslide victory with 418 seats, the most seats the party has ever held. The Conservatives ended up with 165 seats, the fewest seats they have held since the 1906 General Election, and with no MPs for seats in Scotland or Wales. This marked the beginning of what has become the longest spell in opposition for the Conservative Party since the 19th century, as well as the longest period of time in government ever for the Labour Party. The British economy had been in recession at the time of the 1992 election, which the Conservatives had won, and although the recession had ended within a year, events such as Black Wednesday had tarnished the Tory government's reputation for economic management and Labour were leading the way in the polls a long time before the death of their leader John Smith in May 1994, after which Tony Blair became leader of the party. Added to this, disputes within government over European Union issues, and a variety of "sleaze" allegations had severely affected the government's popularity. The