New Labour, New Tactical Voting? The Causes and Consequences of Tactical Voting in the 1997 General Election

The outcome of the 1997 election broke a number of records. More Labour MPs (419 including the Speaker) were elected than ever before, surpassing even the party's victory in 1945. More Liberal Democrat MPs (46) were elected than at any time since 1929, more than doubling their numbers compared with 1992 and giving the party the kind of breakthrough of which the former SDPlLiberal Alliance had dreamed. Meanwhile the Conservatives were left with fewer seats (165) than at any time since the Liberal landslide of 1906.