This list notes the number of by-elections by session since 1945-46 together with a list of the the successful candidates in by-elections since 2005.
UK parliamentary by-elections since 1945 (96 KB , Excel Spreadsheet)
A by-election occurs when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant during the lifetime of a Parliament (ie between general elections), because the sitting MP dies, resigns, is elevated to the peerage, or becomes ineligible to sit for some other reason.
Under a Resolution of the House of 2 March 1623, MPs cannot directly resign their seats. Therefore, an MP wishing to resign must be appointed to one of two nominal offices of profit under the Crown. See the Library briefing Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1880.
The by-elections page of the Parliament website provides detailed information on results, including the number of votes cast and percentage share of the vote.
See the Commons briefing, UK Election Statistics: 1918-2021: A century of elections for a list of all by-elections in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
This series of publications contains data on various subjects relating to Parliament and Government. Topics include legislation, MPs, select committees, debates, divisions and Parliamentary procedure.
Please send any comments or corrections to papers@parliament.uk.
UK parliamentary by-elections since 1945 (96 KB , Excel Spreadsheet)
The 2024 elections accentuated a three-way split in the French National Assembly, leading to further instability. The government appointed in September had fallen by the end of the year.
This briefing explains the rules about showing photographic voter ID at elections to the UK Parliament and to other elections.
This briefing describes the eligibility to vote in UK Parliament elections for British citizens living overseas.
