2022 United Kingdom general election | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 May 2022 |
| Seats | 32 (17 for a majority) |
| Turnout | 64.8% |
| Winner | Labour Party |
| Seats won | Labour 18, Conservative 10, Lib Dem 2, Green 1, Reform 1 |
| Prime Minister before | Richard Ashworth (Conservative) |
| Prime Minister after | Sir Oliver Howard |
The 2022 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 5 May 2022 to elect all 32 members of the House of Commons. The Labour Party, led by Sir Oliver Howard, won 18 seats and an overall majority of four, ending the Conservative government of Richard Ashworth. Howard became Prime Minister the following day.
Contents
Background
The Conservatives had governed for more than a decade. By 2022 the government was weighed down by rising prices, long hospital waiting lists and a string of factory closures in the North and the Midlands. Howard, Labour's leader since September 2020, had spent eighteen months rebuilding the party's relationship with both business and the trade unions, and had been appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter in April 2021 for his work on workers' rights.
Campaign
Labour campaigned on the slogan Britain Works, promising fair pay, investment in industry outside London, an end to long NHS waits and new protections for workers' pensions, drawing on Howard's own record in the Don Valley Pensions case. The Conservatives warned that Labour would raise taxes and frighten away investment. Howard answered by pointing to his years running Hopkins PLC: "I've raised the capital and I've signed the payroll."
The turning point was the final televised debate, in which Howard's calm performance against a more combative Ashworth was widely judged the clear win. Polls, which had shown the parties level, moved towards Labour in the last week.
Results
Labour won 18 seats on 39.4 per cent of the vote, the Conservatives 10 seats on 33.1 per cent, the Liberal Democrats 2 seats, and the Green Party and Reform UK one seat each. Turnout was 64.8 per cent. Howard held Cities of London and Westminster with an increased majority of 6,880.
- Labour Party: 18 seats (39.4%)
- Conservative: 10 seats (33.1%)
- Liberal Democrats: 2 seats (12.6%)
- Green Party: 1 seat (6.2%)
- Reform UK: 1 seat (7.1%)
Aftermath
Ashworth resigned as Prime Minister and as Conservative leader on the morning of 6 May. The Sovereign then invited Howard to form a government, and he entered 10 Downing Street that afternoon, promising "a government that works as hard as the people it serves". His first Cabinet was announced the same evening.
This page was last edited on 3 November 2026.