On This Day

July 5, 1945

Most constituencies begin voting in the historic 1945 general election

The election saw the Labour Party lead by Clement Attlee sweep to power in a landslide and Winston Churchill and the Conservatives defeated, just two months after VE Day. The Liberal Party fielded 307 candidates and, despite an increase in its vote, only returned 12 MPs, losing many of their leading figures including party leader Sir Archibald Sinclair, who lost Caithness & Sutherland by 64 votes, Sir William Beveridge and Chief Whip Sir Percy Harris. The party did manage to record several gains including Frank Byers who won Dorset North from the Conservatives and Rhys Hopkin Morris who gained Carmarthen from Labour.