Number of Westminster MPs

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Over the history of the House of Commons, the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) has varied for assorted 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.

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[edit] Total number of Members of Parliament

In 1654 the First Protectorate Parliament included elected representation from Scotland and Ireland. After the Third Protectorate Parliament in 1659 the Scottish and Irish members disappeared from Westminster until the unions of 1707 and 1801 respectively.

In 1654 England and Wales saw its first systematic redistribution of parliamentary seats ever. However in 1659 the representation of England and Wales reverted to the pre-Civil War pattern. When the Rump Parliament was recalled, later the same year, and the full Long Parliament was reinstated the following year its composition was exactly the same as before the Protectorate.

Only three new English constituencies, with a total of six seats, were enfranchised between the restoration of King Charles II in 1660 and the Reform Act 1832. As many of the constituencies were rotten boroughs, which had either decayed into insignificance centuries ago or had never been important settlements, whereas some major towns only participated in elections as part of the historic county they were situated in, the state of representation was very imperfect. By 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 85 years the number of seats varied only slightly, as constituencies were disenfranchised for corruption and the seats were re-allocated some time later (see the lists below for details). The major redistributions of constituencies following the Reform Act 1832 and Reform Act 1867 both created a new House (elected in 1832 and 1868 respectively) with exactly 658 seats. The number of MPs had dropped to 648 by the dissolution before the General Election of 1885.

With the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, introduced in the wake of the Reform Act of 1884, the size of the House was increased to 670 and remained unchanged until the Representation of the People Act at the end of the First World War.

The period between 1918 and 1922 saw the most MPs in the history of Parliament.

From 1922 the number of seats has fluctuated between 615 and 659. Unlike the position in many countries, such as the United States and Australia, seats are not allocated to different parts of the United Kingdom by a strict mathematical formula. The total number of seats result from the decisions of the four national Boundary Commissions, each applying the rules from time to time provided for by Parliament.

The general effect of the interaction of the rules has been to over-represent the non-English parts of the United Kingdom compared to England, and gradually increase the number of seats in each redistribution (although Northern Ireland was under represented between 1922 and 1983 as for most of that time it had a devolved government and from the 2005 redistribution Scotland uses the same quota of average number of electors per constituency as England as it now has devolved institutions).

The numbering of Parliaments in the table below related to the Protectorate Parliaments (1654-1659), the Parliaments of Great Britain (1707-1800) and the Parliaments of the United Kingdom (from 1801).

Years Parliaments MPs Notes
1654–1659 1st to 2nd 460 Thirty members each from Scotland and Ireland
1659 3rd 567 England and Wales reverted to pre-1654 distribution of seats
1659–1673 507 Scotland and Ireland no longer represented at Westminster
1673–1675 509 Enfranchisement of Newark
1675–1678 511 Enfranchisement of County Durham
1678–1707 513 Enfranchisement of the City of Durham
1707–1800 1st to 18th 558 Union of Scotland with England and Wales.
1801–1821 1st to 7th 658 Union of Ireland with Great Britain. Numbering re-started.
1821–1826 7th 656 Disenfranchisement of Grampound a
1826–1844 8th to 14th 658 Two seats re-allocated as additional seats to Yorkshire
1844–1852 14th to 15th 656 Disenfranchisement of Sudbury a
1852–1861 15th to 18th 654 Disenfranchisement of St Albans a
1861–1865 18th 656 Two seats re-allocated to enfranchise Birkenhead and as an additional seat to South Lancashirea
1865–1870 19th to 20th 658 West Riding of Yorkshire divided into two constituencies.
1870–1885 20th to 22nd 652 Four constituencies disenfranchised for corruption a.
1885 22nd 648 Two constituencies disenfranchised for corruption a.
1885–1918 23rd to 30th 670
1918–1922 31st 707
1922–1945 32nd to 37th 615 Irish Free State left Union, Northern Ireland constituencies reduced.
1945–1950 38th 640 Several large constituencies divided.
1950–1955 39th and 40th 625 University and multi-member constituencies abolished
1955–1974 41st to 45th 630
1974–1983 46th to 48th 635
1983–1992 49th and 50th 650
1992–1997 51st 651 Split of Milton Keynes
1997–2005 52nd and 53rd 659
2005 to date 54th 646 Scottish over‐representation abolished after creation of Scottish Parliament

Note:-

  • a Change came into effect during a Parliament.

[edit] List of constituencies disenfranchised for corruption and re-allocated seats 1821-1885

The normal number of Members of Parliament in this period was 658. Changes took effect on the dissolution of the previous Parliament, unless otherwise indicated.

Year Plt. Change Total MPs Notes
1821 7th a -2 656 Grampound disenfranchised and represented as part of Cornwall
1826 8th +2 658 Yorkshire received additional seats (4 instead of 2)
1844 14th a -2 656 Sudbury disenfranchised and represented as part of West Suffolk
1852 15th a -2 654 St Albans disenfranchised and represented as part of Hertfordshire
1861 18th a +1 655 Birkenhead was enfranchised
1861 18th a +1 656 South Lancashire received an additional seat (3 instead of 2)
1865 19th +2 658 West Riding of Yorkshire, a 2 member seat, was split into 2 two member divisions
1868 20th b -2 658 Great Yarmouth disenfranchised and represented as part of North Norfolk and East Suffolk
1868 20th b -2 658 Lancaster disenfranchised and represented as part of North Lancashire
1868 20th b -1 658 Reigate disenfranchised and represented as part of Mid Surrey
1868 20th b -2 658 Totnes disenfranchised and represented as part of South Devon
1870 20th a -2 656 Beverley disenfranchised and represented as part of East Riding of Yorkshire
1870 20th a -2 654 Bridgwater disenfranchised and represented as part of West Somerset
1870 20th a -1 653 Cashel disenfranchised and represented as part of Tipperary
1870 20th a -1 652 Borough of Sligo disenfranchised and represented as part of County Sligo
1885 22nd c -2 650 Macclesfield disenfranchised and represented as part of East Cheshire
1885 22nd a -2 648 Sandwich disenfranchised and represented as part of East Kent

Note:-

  • a This change took effect during the Parliament.
  • b This change took effect at the same time as the redistribution provided for by the Reform Act 1867, so the total membership of the 20th Parliament remained unchanged from the 658 at the dissolution of the 19th Parliament.
  • c This change took effect during the Parliament. The Macclesfield borough constituency which was disenfranchised on 25 June 1885, should not be confused with the Macclesfield county constituency which was created under the redistribution that took effect at the United Kingdom general election, 1885 and held its first election in November or December 1885.

[edit] Number of MPs by country

Under the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, the Protectorate regime was established by the Instrument of Government which included a redistribution of parliamentary seats in England and Wales. It also authorised the Lord Protector and Council of State to provide for the parliamentary representation of Scotland and Ireland. This arrangement only lasted for a few years and the three components of the Commonwealth reverted to having individual parliaments.

The total number of MPs representing constituencies in different parts of the United Kingdom has been varied by Act of Parliament several times since the Acts of Union 1707. In the tables below the occasions on which the number has been changed, and the number of MPs following the change is given in each case. The dates given are those when the change took effect. More details of minor changes in the 1821-1885 period are set out in the section above.

Monmouthshire is treated as part of Wales throughout this section, although it was often considered to be an English county before the twentieth century. The number of Members of Parliament representing the county (including borough constituencies within it) was (1654-1885) three, (1885-1918) four and (1918-1983) six.


Country 1654 1659a 1659b 1673 1675 1678 1707 1801 1821 1826 1832 1844 1852 1861 1865 1868 1870 1885c 1885d 1918
England 372 480 480 482 484 486 486 486 484 486 468 466 464 466 468 460 456 452 461 492
Wales 28 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 32 32 32 32 32 33 33 33 34 36
Scotland 30 30 0 0 0 0 45 45 45 45 53 53 53 53 53 60 60 60 72 74
Ireland 30 30 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 100 105 105 105 105 105 105 103 103 103 105
Total 460 567 507 509 511 513 558 658 656 658 658 656 654 656 658 658 652 648 670 707
Country 1922 1945 1950 1955 1974 1983 1992 1997 2005 next
England 492 517 506 511 516 523 524 529 529 533
Wales 36 36 36 36 36 38 38 40 40 40
Scotland 74 74 71 71 71 72 72 72 59 59
Northern Ireland 13 13 12 12 12 17 17 18 18 18
Total 615 640 625 630 635 650 651 659 646 650

Notes:-

  • a Third Protectorate Parliament.
  • b Rump Parliament/Long Parliament restored.
  • c Changes in June 1885.
  • d Changes at the United Kingdom general election, 1885, in November-December 1885.

A list of the number of MPs from Scotland, as provided for in the year of the legislation specified (but not necessarily the year when the redistribution took effect).

  • 1654: 30
  • 1659: 0
  • 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.

[edit] References