This article lists the Social Democratic Party (UK)'s election results in UK parliamentary elections.
| Year | Number of Candidates | Total votes | Average votes per candidate | % UK vote | Change (percentage points) | Saved deposits | Number of MPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 311 | 3,521,624 | — | 11.64% | New | — | 6 |
| 1987 | 306 | 3,168,201 | — | 9.74% | -1.9% | — | 5 |
| Election | Candidate | Votes | % | Position | 1979 | Result | By-election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAB | LIB | CON | OTH | LAB | SDP | CON | OTH | ||||||
| 1981 Warrington by-election | Roy Jenkins | 12,521 | 42.40 | 2 | 61.6 | 9.1 | 28.8 | 9.6 | LAB hold | 48.4 | 42.4 | 7.1 | 2.1 |
| 1981 Crosby by-election | Shirley Williams | 28,118 | 49.0 | 1 | 25.4 | 15.2 | 57.0 | 2.4 | SDP gain from CON | 9.5 | 49.1 | 39.8 | 1.6 |
| 1982 Glasgow Hillhead by-election | Roy Jenkins | 10,106 | 33.40 | 1 | 34.4 | 14.4 | 41.0 | 10.1 | SDP gain from CON | 25.9 | 33.4 | 26.6 | 14.1 |
| 1982 Mitcham and Morden by-election | Bruce Douglas-Mann[1] | 9,032 | 29.40 | 2 | 45.2 | 8.9 | 43.9 | 2.0 | CON gain from LAB | 24.4 | 29.4 | 43.4 | 2.8 |
| 1982 Gower by-election | Gwynoro Jones | 9,875 | 25.10 | 2 | 53.2 | 9.1 | 30.6 | 7.2 | LAB hold | 43.5 | 25.1 | 22.1 | 9.3 |
| 1982 Peckham by-election | Dick Taverne | 7,418 | 32.91 | 2 | 59.9 | 7.7 | 28.1 | LAB hold | 50.3 | 32.9 | 12.4 | 4.4 | |
| 1983 Darlington by-election | Anthony Cook | 12,735 | 24.5 | 3 | 45.6 | 10.2 | 43.4 | 0.9 | LAB hold | 39.5 | 24.5 | 34.9 | 1.1 |
| Constituency | Candidate | Votes | % | Posn | 1979 | Result compared to 1979 | 1983 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAB | LIB | CON | OTH | LAB | SDP | CON | LIB | OTH | ||||||
| Aberdeen North | Colin Stirling Deans | 10,118 | 24.7 | 2 | LAB hold | |||||||||
| Aberdeen South | I.D. Philip | 10,372 | 26.2 | 3 | CON hold, but SDP and LAB together outpolled them | |||||||||
| Aldridge-Brownhills | P.G. Gunn | 11,599 | 24.4 | 3 | CON hold | |||||||||
| Alyn and Deeside | Eric Cyril Hammersley Owen | 9,535 | 21.6 | 3 | LAB win (new seat) | |||||||||
| Angus East | Pauline Mary Hammond | 4,978 | 11.4 | 3 | CON win (new seat) | |||||||||
| Ashford | J Hawkes | 13,319 | 27.78 | 2 | CON hold | |||||||||
| Ashton-under-Lyne | John Adler | 7,521 | 17.8 | 3 | LAB hold | |||||||||
| Aylesbury | Michael Alexander Soole | 15,310 | 29.4 | 2 | CON hold | |||||||||
| Banbury | Keith Fitchett | 13,200 | 26.86 | 2 | CON hold | |||||||||
| Banff and Buchan | Edward Allport Needham | 6,084 | 15.0 | 3 | CON win (new seat) | |||||||||
| Barnsley West and Penistone | J. Evans | 9,624 | 21.7 | 3 | LAB hold | |||||||||
| Barrow and Furness | D. Cottier | 11,079 | 21.7 | 3 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | |||||||||
| Basildon | Sue Slipman | 11,634 | 25.7 | 3 | CON hold, but SDP and LAB together outpolled them | |||||||||
| Basingstoke | Ednyfed Hudson Davies
(defecting Labour MP from Caerphilly) |
15,931 | 28.8 | 2 | CON hold | |||||||||
| Bassetlaw | B. Withnall | 8,124 | 16.7 | 3 | LAB hold | |||||||||
| Bath | Malcolm Dean | 17,240 | 36 | 2 | CON hold, but SDP and LAB together outpolled them | |||||||||
| Batley and Spen | Stephen Woollery | 11,678 | 21.6 | 3 | CON win (new seat), but SDP+LAB outpolled them | |||||||||
| Battersea | M. Harris | 7,675 | 17.5 | 3 | LAB win (new seat) | |||||||||
| South West Bedfordshire | Richard Byfield | 16,036 | 27.8 | 2 | ||||||||||
| East Berkshire | Kevin Patrick O'Sullivan | 17,868 | 29.9 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Birmingham Edgbaston | Joseph Christopher Binns | 8,167 | 22.4 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Birmingham Erdington | Christopher Bernard Barber | 7,915 | 21.1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Birmingham Selly Oak | Kevin William Wheldall | 10,613 | 20.7 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Birmingham Small Heath | A.M. Bostock | 5,722 | 16 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Birmingham Sparkbrook | Omkar Singh Parmar | 3,416 | 10.4 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Birmingham Yardley | David Anthony Bennett | 8,109 | 23.1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Blackburn | Eric Fairbrother | 8,174 | 14.4 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Blackpool South | Alex G. Cox | 9,417 | 24 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Blaydon | M. Carr | 12,607 | 26.3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Blyth Valley | Rosemary Margaret Brownlow | 13,340 | 31.8 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Bolsover | S. Reddish | 7,886 | 16.8 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Bradford West | Edward Lyons (defecting Labour MP) | 53.8 | 8.1 | 36.7 | 1.4 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 39.7 | 27.1 | 32.9 | 0.3 | ||||
| Caithness and Sutherland | Robert Maclennan (defecting Labour MP) | 41.5 | 30.5 | 28.0 | SDP gain from LAB (held 1981 gain) | 14.3 | 52.0 | 22.7 | 11.0 | |||||
| Cardiff West | Jeffrey Thomas (defecting Labour MP
from Abertillery) |
85.6 | 14.5 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 33.6 | 25.5 | 38.0 | 3.0 | ||||||
| Clwyd South West | Tom Ellis
(defecting Labour MP from Wrexham) |
CON win in new seat; SDP+LAB together outpolled them | 27.4 | 30.2 | 33.8 | 8.6 | ||||||||
| Crosby | Shirley Williams (sitting SDP MP) | 25.4 | 15.2 | 57.0 | 2.4 | CON hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 10.2 | 42.0 | 47.2 | 0.6 | ||||
| Dewsbury | David Ginsburg (defecting Labour MP) | 46.7 | 15.5 | 37.8 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 35.3 | 25.3 | 39.4 | ||||||
| Erith and Crayford | James Wellbeloved (defecting Labour MP) | 47.3 | 9.5 | 41.5 | 1.8 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 27.3 | 34.9 | 37.1 | 0.7 | ||||
| Glasgow Hillhead | Roy Jenkins (sitting SDP MP) | 34.4 | 14.4 | 41.0 | 10.1 | SDP gain from CON (held 1982 by-election gain) | 33.4 | 36.2 | 23.5 | 6.9 | ||||
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | Ronald Brown (defecting Labour MP) | 54.1 | 9.2 | 28.2 | 8.4 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 43.3 | 18.3 | 23.3 | 9.7 | 5.4 | |||
| Hayes and Harlington | Neville Sandelson (defecting Labour MP) | 48.3 | 9.3 | 40.5 | 2.0 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 30.0 | 29.0 | 40.3 | 0.8 | ||||
| Islington North | John Grant (defecting Labour MP
from abolished Islington Central) |
52.6 | 8.9 | 33.6 | 4.9 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 40.4 | 22.4 | 25.3 | 12.0 | ||||
| Islington South and Finsbury | George Cunningham (defecting Labour MP) | 52.0 | 8.2 | 34.1 | 5.7 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 36.3 | 35.3 | 26.7 | 1.7 | ||||
| Leicester East | Tom Bradley (defecting Labour MP) | 46.9 | 9.1 | 41.3 | 2.7 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 37.0 | 21.1 | 38.9 | 2.9 | ||||
| Leyton | Bryan Magee (defecting Labour MP) | 51.4 | 8.3 | 37.4 | 2.9 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 43.5 | 24.9 | 31.6 | |||||
| Liverpool Broadgreen | Richard Crawshaw (defecting Labour MP
from abolished Liverpool Toxteth) |
LAB win in new seat | 40.9 | 11.2 | 32.6 | 15.3 | ||||||||
| Liverpool West Derby | Eric Ogden | 55.5 | 9.3 | 35.3 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 54.5 | 18.0 | 27.5 | ||||||
| Newcastle Central | John Horam (defecting Labour MP
from abolished Gateshead West) |
67.3 | 13.4 | 19.3 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 35.8 | 22.3 | 40.8 | 1.1 | |||||
| Newcastle upon Tyne East | Mike Thomas (defecting Labour MP) | 55.1 | 8.5 | 36.5 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 45.5 | 26.7 | 27.8 | ||||||
| North West Norfolk | Christopher Brocklebank-Fowler
(defecting Conservative MP) |
39.0 | 9.9 | 51.0 | CON hold, but SDP and LAB together outpolled them | 18.9 | 37.6 | 43.5 | ||||||
| Plymouth Devonport | David Owen (defecting Labour MP) | 47.4 | 6.8 | 44.6 | 1.3 | SDP gain from LAB (held 1981 gain) | 21.0 | 44.3 | 33.8 | 0.9 | ||||
| Renfrew West and Inverclyde
(replaced West Renfrewshire) |
Dickson Mabon (defecting Labour MP
from abolished Greenock & Port Glasgow) |
44.5 | 11.4 | 31.0 | 13.1 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 29.0 | 29.5 | 32.7 | 8.8 | ||||
| Ross, Cromarty and Skye
(replaced Ross and Cromarty) |
Charles Kennedy | 20.1 | 13.9 | 42.4 | 23.6 | SDP gain from CON | 14.0 | 38.5 | 33.7 | 13.9 | ||||
| Southampton Itchen | Bob Mitchell (defecting Labour MP) | 46.3 | 10.1 | 43.6 | SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON gain from LAB | 27.1 | 31.5 | 41.5 | ||||||
| Stockport | Thomas McNally (defecting Labour MP
from abolished Stockport South) |
SDP split left-wing vote allowing CON win in new seat | 29.0 | 27.6 | 42.1 | 1.2 | ||||||||
| Stockton North
(replaced Stockton-on-Tees) |
William Rodgers (defecting Labour MP) | 53.1 | 9.2 | 36.2 | 1.5 | LAB hold (that is, reverted to 1979 status quo) | 37.1 | 29.6 | 33.3 | |||||
| Stockton South
(replaced Thornaby) |
Ian Wrigglesworth (defecting Labour MP) | 51.1 | 9.2 | 39.1 | 0.5 | SDP gain from LAB (held 1981 gain) | 26.3 | 36.8 | 36.6 | 0.4 | ||||
| Woolwich
(replaced Woolwich East) |
John Cartwright (defecting Labour MP) | 58.9 | 8.1 | 30.5 | 2.4 | SDP gain from LAB (held 1981 gain) | 33.4 | 40.5 | 25.1 | 1.0 | ||||
| Worsley | John Roper (defecting Labour MP
from Farnworth) |
LAB win in new seat | 40.3 | 27.1 | 32.6 | |||||||||