Labour’s 1997 results and how the 2024 general election exit poll compares

Sir Keir Starmer’s party is predicted to win 410 seats, falling short of New Labour’s result in 1997

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is set to win 410 seats in parliament, just shy of Tony Blair’s 418-seat landslide nearly 30 years ago, according to an exit poll.

If the poll is accurate, Sir Keir will have led his party to victory with a 170-seat majority, pushing the Conservatives back to only 131 seats.

The result will almost certainly lead to a series of high-profile Conservatives losing their seats as results come in in the early hours.

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The Liberal Democrats are forecast to win 61 seats, with Reform UK on 13, the Green Party on 2, the SNP on 10 and Plaid Cymru on 4.

So how does Labour’s position on the exit poll compare with New Labour’s election victory in 1997? The Independent takes a look below.

Former prime minister Tony Blair won a landslide election victory in 1997 with a huge 179-seat majority (PA Archive)

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party predicted results

The 10pm exit poll, conducted by Ipsos, showed the Labour Party is on course to win 410 seats in parliament, giving them a 170-seat majority and a huge mandate to form a government.

At the last general election in 2019, the Conservatives had a majority of 80, with 365 seats to Labour’s 203. The SNP won 48 seats and the Lib Dems had just 11.

Starmer is set to be the fourth Labour leader to oust the Conservatives since the Second World War, and the first Labour prime minister for 14 years.

New Labour’s results in 1997

In 1997, Tony Blair’s Labour Party won 418 seats – eight more than it is predicted to win under Sir Keir at this election – giving him a 179-seat majority in parliament.

Sir Tony secured 43.2 per cent of the national vote, compared to John Major’s 30.7 per cent, which left the Conservatives with only 165 seats.

The Labour Party went on to win two more elections in 2001 and 2005, but were defeated in 2010 under Gordon Brown, with the Conservatives returning to power in a coaliton with the Lib Dems.