Labour makes history by securing third term

Labour has won a historic third term in the General Election, but will return to government with a substantially reduced majority.

It is being predicted that the government will only have a majority of between 60- 70, a drastic drop of around 100 from the last election. Labour had 353 seats, with only a few seats left undeclared, while the Conservatives had 197 and the Liberal Democrats had 62. Labour’s share of the vote, which looks set to be around 36%, is also the lowest ever received by a party which won the election. The Conservatives, who gained over thirty seats, looked set to get around 33% of the vote, which was around the same as their result in the last election, while the Liberal Democrats looked like they gained around 22% an increase from 18.3% at the 2001 election.

Labour also suffered a number of major defeats. Schools minister Stephen Twigg lost the Enfield Southgate seat - which he won from Michael Portillo in 1997 - this was returned to the Conservatives. Health Minister Melanie Johnson and Constitutional Affairs Minister Chris Leslie also lost their seats.

In one of the biggest upsets of election night, Labour’s Oona King was ousted from the Bethnal Green and Bow seat by George Galloway from Respect. Galloway's campaign was built around staunch opposition to the Iraq war. Former Labour member Peter Law, standing as an independent, also won the Blaenau Gwent seat ahead of Maggie Jones.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who celebrates his 52nd birthday today, said that “the British people wanted the return of the Labour government, but with a reduced majority”. He said: “We have to respond to that sensibly and wisely and responsibly”.

Mr Blair admitted that the war in Iraq had been “a divisive issue” and said that he hoped that the country could “unite again and look to the future there and here”. He also said that the Labour government needed to focus on the issues that mattered, such as the NHS and law and order.

Conservative leader Michael Howard congratulated Mr Blair when it became clear that Labour were going to win the election, shortly after Mr Howard was returned as MP for Folkestone and Hythe in the early hours of this morning. However, he warned that the time had come for “action and not talk” from Mr Blair and said: “I believe that the time has now come for him to deliver on the things that really matter to the people of our country. If he does in this third term I will back him.”

Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, who was celebrating a successful election for his party said: “I think it is going to be a very different House of Commons from the one we have had over the past eight years.”

Mr Blair is expected to begin working on a Cabinet reshuffle today.

(KMcA/SP)