In the 1857 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, finally won a majority in the House of Commons as the Conservative vote fell significantly. The election had been provoked by a vote of censure in Palmerston's government over his approach to the Arrow affair which led to the Second Opium War.
Results
| United Kingdom General Election 1857 |
|
Candidates |
Votes |
| Party |
Standing |
Elected |
Gained |
Unseated |
Net |
% of total |
% |
No. |
Net % |
| |
Whig |
507 |
377 |
|
|
+ 53 |
|
64.9 |
464,127 |
+ 7.0 |
| |
Conservative |
351 |
264 |
|
|
- 66 |
|
33.5 |
239,712 |
- 7.1 |
| |
Others |
19 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
+ 13 |
|
1.7 |
12,099 |
N/A |
| |
Chartist |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
0.1 |
614 |
- 0.1 |
Total votes cast: 716,552. "Others" are mostly Irish Independent Opposition. The Conservative total votes cast and MPs includes around 26 Peelites - some reference works claim it was as few as 18.
Summary
| Popular vote |
|
|
|
|
|
| Whig |
|
64.77% |
| Conservative |
|
33.45% |
| Others |
|
1.69% |
| Chartist |
|
0.09% |
Seats summary
| Parliamentary seats |
|
|
|
|
|
| Whig |
|
57.65% |
| Conservative |
|
40.37% |
| Others |
|
1.99% |
References
53
