A general election was held in the United Kingdom on Thursday, 1 May 1997. The governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister John Major was defeated in a landslide by the opposition Labour Party
Tony Blair 1997
Major PM full
Paddy Ashdown
John Major 1993
Paddy Ashdown
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Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, better known as Paddy Ashdown, was a British politician and diplomat who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. In
1997 United Kingdom general election
…lost their seats. The Conservatives, meanwhile, suffered defeat with a net loss of 178 seats, winning 30.7% of the vote. The Liberal Democrats led by Paddy Ashdown made a net gain of 28 seats, winning 16.8% of the vote. Labour's victory, the largest achieved in its history and by any political party in British…
Ashdown in Chippenham during the 1992 general election campaign
Ashdown (second from right) with US secretary of state Colin Powell in 2004
Ashdown accepting the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service from US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2004