Number of British MPs
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Number of British MPs
Over the history of the House of Commons, the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) has varied for various reasons, with increases in recent years due to increases in the population of the United Kingdom. There are currently 646 MPs, corresponding to approximately one for every 92,000 people, or one for every 68,000 parliamentary electors.
Total number of MPs (1918-)
- 1918 707 (Lloyd George)
- 1922 615 (Bonar Law)
- 1923 615 (Baldwin)
- 1924 615 (Baldwin)
- 1929 615 (Macdonald)
- 1931 615 (Macdonald)
- 1935 615 (Baldwin)
- 1945 640 (Atlee)
- 1950 625 (Atlee)
- 1951 625 (Churchill)
- 1955 630 (Eden)
- 1959 630 (Macmillan)
- 1964 630 (Wilson)
- 1966 630 (Wilson)
- 1970 630 (Heath)
- 1974 635 (Wilson)
- 1974 635 (Wilson)
- 1979 635 (Thatcher)
- 1983 650 (Thatcher)
- 1987 650 (Thatcher)
- 1992 651 (Major)
- 1997 659 (Blair)
- 2001 659 (Blair)
- 2005 646 (Blair)
The total number of MPs elected is given for each General Election, with the winning Prime Minister shown in parentheses. The period between 1918 and 1922 saw the most MPs in the history of Parliament. The sharp decrease in 1922 was due to the independence of the Irish Free State.
Total number of MPs (1688-1918)
Following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 there were 513 MPs, until the Act of Union 1707 added 45 MPs for Scotland. These 558 were again increased to 658 by the Act of Union 1800, with the addition of MPs for Ireland. Over the next 80 years the number varied only slightly, despite the Reform Act 1832, and the 658 MPs dropped to 652 by the General Election of 1880. With the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, introduced in the wake of the Reform Act of 1884, it was increased to 672 and remained essentially steady until the Representation of the People Act at the end of the First World War.
Number of Scottish MPs
The total number of MPs representing Scottish constituencies has been varied by Act of Parliament several times since the Acts of Union. These are the occasions on which the number has been changed, and the number of MPs following the change is given in each case.
- 1707 45
- 1832 53
- 1867 60
- 1885 72
- 1918 74
- 1948 71
- 1983 72
- 2003 59
In 2003, following the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the Boundary Commission for Scotland met to recommend a decrease in the number of Scottish MPs to bring the average number per head of population in line with the national average. This change came into effect following the May 2005 General Election.