1708 British general election

1708 British general election

← 1702 (Scotland)
1705 (England and Wales)
30 April – 7 July 1708 (1708-04-30 – 1708-07-07) 1710 →

All 558 seats in the House of Commons
280 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Lord Somers Earl of Godolphin
Party Whig Tory
Leader since c. 1695 c. 1707
Seats won 268 225
Seat change Increase45 Decrease45

The House of Commons following the 1708 General Election

The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.

The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whig-dominated parliament had succeeded in pressuring the Queen into accepting the Junto into government for the first time since the late 1690s. The Whigs were unable to take full control of the government, however, owing to the continued presence of the moderate Tory Godolphin in the cabinet and the opposition of the Queen. Contests were held in 95 of the 269 English and Welsh constituencies and 28 of the 45 Scottish constituencies.