The
United Kingdom general election of 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect
659 members to the
British House of Commons. Under the leadership of
Tony Blair, the
Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition and won the general election with a
landslide victory, winning 418 seats, the most seats the party has ever held. The election saw a huge 10.2% swing from the Conservatives to Labour. Blair, as a result, became
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, a position he held until his resignation in 2007.