England Objects to the Treaty of Versailles, June 1, 1919

Journal of Liberal History

On This Day

18 June 1970

Polling day in the 1970 general election

The Conservatives lead by Edward Heath gain a surprise win, defeating Harold Wilson’s Labour government with a majority of 31. The Liberal Party, led by Jeremy Thorpe fighting his first election, polled 7.5% of the vote and returned six MPs. The election was a disaster for the Liberals. Of the 13 Liberal MPs at the time of the election, seven lost their seats, including Richard Wainwright, Michael Winstanley, Eric Lubbock and by-election winner from the previous year Wallace Lawler. Only three seats – Montgomery, Inverness and Orkney and Shetland could remotely be considered safe, while the other three MPs – David Steel, John Pardoe and Jeremy Thorpe all clung on by less than 1,000 votes.