1997 election

• the turnout was 71%
• in 1992, the Conservatives won their fourth election in a row
• in 1997, the Conservatives had their worst defeat since 1906 and Labour had their largest victory, with 418 seats to Conservative's 165
• John Major was the leader of Cons, and was perceived to be grey, unexciting and weak
• both campaigns focussed on the leaders. Lab = strict, well-organised, pro-Blair with media soundbites to galvanise public. Cons = anti-Labour campaign
• the campaign had little effect on the outcome but began the move towards American campaigning e.g. 6 weeks long
• Class - Labour gained votes across all class groups, e.g. 19% in C1, but Cons still won AB votes
• Ethnicity - Labour won white votes (43%) and BAME (70%)
• Regional - Labour gained across regions
• Gender - Labour closed the gender gap
• Age - Cons still won with +65s but Labour won decisively amongst other age groups
• Tony Blair was the leader of Lab, and was thought to be charismatic, attractive and in command