United Kingdom general election, 1852

The 1852 UK general election was very close, Lord John Russell's Whigs again winning the popular vote, but once again Conservative candidates won a very slight majority. Again the split between Protectionist Tories, led by the Earl of Derby and the Peelites made the formation of a majority government very difficult. Lord Derby's minority Protectionist government soon collapsed, bringing about a Peelite-Whig coalition government under Lord Aberdeen, one of the leading Peelites, which collapsed during the Crimean War.

Results

Election Summary Party with Candidates
party = British Whig Party
candidates = 488
seats = 324
gain =
loss =
net = + 32
votes = 430,882
votes % = 57.9
seats % =
plus/minus = + 4.1Election Summary Party with Candidates
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidates = 461
seats = 330
gain =
loss =
net = + 5
votes = 311,481
votes % = 41.9
seats % =
plus/minus = - 0.5
government = yesElection Summary with Candidates
party = Chartist
candidates = 4
seats = 0
gain = 0
loss = 1
net = - 1
votes = 1,541
votes % = 0.2
seats % =
plus/minus = + 0.1

Note that while the Conservatives had, in theory, a slim majority over the Whigs, the party was divided between protectionist and Peelite wings, of which the former numbered about 290 and the latter 35-40. The Whigs themselves represented a coalition of Whigs, Liberals, Radicals, and Irish nationalists. The above numbers should not, therefore, be taken at face value.Total votes cast: 743,904

Voting summary

bar box
title=Popular vote
titlebar=#ddd
width=600px
barwidth=380px
bars=

eats summary

bar box
title=Parliamentary seats
titlebar=#ddd
width=600px
barwidth=380px
bars=

ee also

*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1852

References

*F. W. S. Craig, "British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987"
* "British Electoral Facts 1832-1999", compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (Ashgate Publishing Ltd 2000)
* [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/politics.htm Spartacus: Political Parties and Election Results]