1987 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

The 1987 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 11 June with 17 MPs elected in single-seat constituencies using first-past-the-post as part of the wider general election in the United Kingdom. 1,090,389 people were eligible to vote, up 40,253 from the 1983 general election. 67.41% of eligible voters turned out, down 5.9 percentage points from the last general election.[1]

1987 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland

← 1983 11 June 1987 1992 →

17 seats in Northern Ireland of the 650 seats in the House of Commons
Turnout67.4% (Decrease)
  First party Second party
 
Leader James Molyneaux John Hume
Party Ulster Unionist Party Social Democratic and Labour Party
Leader since 1979 6 May 1979
Leader's seat Lagan Valley Foyle
Seats won 9 3
Seat change Decrease 2 Increase 2
Popular vote 276,230 154,087
Percentage 37.8% 21.1%

  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader Ian Paisley Gerry Adams
Party Democratic Unionist Party Sinn Féin
Leader since 1971 1983
Leader's seat Antrim North Belfast West
Seats won 3 1
Seat change Steady Steady
Popular vote 85,642 83,389
Percentage 11.7% 11.4%

Results

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The Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher as prime minister won another term in government.

Results[2][3][4]
Party MPs Votes
No. Change No. % Change
UUP 9   2 276,230 38.0%   4.0
SDLP 3   2 154,087 21.2%   3.3
DUP 3   85,642 11.8%   8.2
Sinn Féin 1   83,389 11.5%   3.9
UPUP 1   18,420 2.5%   0.5
Alliance 0   72,761 10.0%   2.0
Workers' Party 0   19,294 2.6%   0.7
Real Unionist 0 New 14,467 2.0%   2.0
Protestant Unionist 0 New 2,147 0.3%   0.3
Ecology 0 New 281 0.04%   0.04
Total 17   726,718 100  

MPs elected

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Constituency Party MP
Antrim East UUP Roy Beggs
Antrim North DUP Ian Paisley
Antrim South UUP Clifford Forsythe
Belfast East DUP Peter Robinson
Belfast North UUP Cecil Walker
Belfast South UUP Martin Smyth
Belfast West Sinn Féin Gerry Adams
Down North UPUP Jim Kilfedder
Down South SDLP Eddie McGrady
Fermanagh and South Tyrone UUP Ken Maginnis
Foyle SDLP John Hume
Lagan Valley UUP James Molyneaux
Londonderry East UUP William Ross
Mid Ulster DUP William McCrea
Newry and Armagh SDLP Seamus Mallon
Strangford UUP John Taylor
Upper Bann UUP Harold McCusker

By-elections

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Constituency Date Incumbent Party Winner Party Cause
Upper Bann 17 May 1990 Harold McCusker UUP David Trimble UUP Death

References

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  1. ^ "UK Parliamentary Election 1987 - Turnout". EONI. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  2. ^ Walker, Brian Mercer (1992). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1918–1992 (New History of Ireland). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. pp. 37–39. ISBN 0901714968.
  3. ^ "Elections to the United Kingdom Parliament held in Northern Ireland: General Election 11 June 1987". ElectionsIreland.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Westminster election, 11 June 1987". ARK: Northern Ireland Elections. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2019.