2001 United Kingdom general election

The general election to select Members of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (UK) took place on 7th June 2001. The governing Labour Party under then-Prime Minister Tony Blair defended its win in the 1997 general election against the Opposition party, the Conservatives, led by William Hague, the Leader of the Opposition at the time. The three main national parties - Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - contested 659 seats using the first past the post voting system alongside smaller parties, including those fielding candidates only in particular regions, such as the Scottish National Party in Scotland. Northern Ireland, being part of the UK, also elected MPs, but these parties do not contest seats in Great Britain.