7 июн 2001 г. - UK general election

Описание:

The UK general election of 2001, originally scheduled for May but postponed until 7th June because of the foot-and-mouth crisis, saw the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Tony Blair, win a second successive victory. The election was largely fought on domestic issues, such as health and education, with the Labour Party's campaign focusing on the theme of public investment in these areas. The Conservative Party, under the leadership of William Hague, largely failed to resonate with voters, despite attempts to highlight issues such as immigration and the Euro.

Labour won 413 seats, a net loss of 6 seats from the 1997 election, but still enough to maintain a large majority in the House of Commons. The Conservative Party won 166 seats, a modest increase of one seat from the 1997 election. The Liberal Democrats, under the leadership of Charles Kennedy, increased their share of the vote and won 52 seats, an increase of 6 seats. The voter turnout was 59.4%, the lowest in the UK's electoral history since the introduction of universal suffrage, indicating a general apathy towards the election and a lack of faith in the political process. Despite this, Blair's second victory cemented Labour's position as the dominant party in British politics at the time.