| First Party | Second Party | Third Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 | |
| Leader | James Callaghan | Willie Whitelaw | David Steel |
| Party | Labour | Conservative | Liberal |
| Last Election | 289 | 321 | 17 |
| Seats Won | 386 | 227 | 24 |
| Seat Change | +97 | -94 | +7 |
| Percentage | 45.2% | 35.6% | 14.4% |
The election was to see the Whitelaw government defeated, and labour won its second largest majority ever.
Background[]
Campaign[]
The Conservative Party campaign was much less coherant than it had been in 1975 and 1979, with more centrist tories and right wingers running on slightly different local manifestos.
Results[]
Labour and the Liberals both made significant gains at the expense of the conservatives.
Aftermath[]
Many future senior politicians were first elected at this election, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Michael Portillo.