United Kingdom general election, 2005 (Northern Ireland)

United Kingdom general election, 2005

← 2001 5 May 2005 (2005-05-05) 2010 →
← outgoing members Members elected →
All 18 Northern Irish seats to the House of Commons
First party Second party   Leader Ian Paisley Gerry Adams Party DUP Sinn Féin Leader since 30 September 1971 13 November 1983 Last election 5 Seats 4 Seats Seats before 5 4 Seats won 9 5 Seat change 4 1 Popular vote 241,856 174,530 Percentage 33.7% 24.3% Swing 11.2% 2.6%   Third party Fourth party   Leader David Trimble Mark Durkan Party UUP SDLP Leader since 28 August 1995 2001 Last election 6 Seats 3 Seats Seats before 6 3 Seats won 1 3 Seat change 5 0 Popular vote 127,414 125,626 Percentage 17.8% 17.5% Swing 9.0% 3.5%
Colours on map indicate winning party for each constituency.
Prime Minister before election Tony Blair Labour Subsequent Prime Minister Tony Blair Labour

Tony Blair
Labour

Tony Blair
Labour

The 2005 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland was held on 5 May 2005 and all 18 seats in Northern Ireland were contested. The election resulted in the Ulster Unionist Party losing its place as the largest Northern Irish political party at Westminster, being replaced by the Democratic Unionist Party. Both the DUP and Sinn Féin increased their share of the vote as well as their number of seats. The Social Democratic and Labour Party were unable to regain its formerly held status as the largest nationalist political party in Northern Ireland, though they retained 3 seats overall, albeit with a reduced share of the vote.

Both John Hume and David Trimble, 1998 Nobel Peace Prize laureates for their roles in the Peace Process, did not retain their seats in parliament. The UUP's dismal electoral performance led to Trimble's resignation as leader.

Northern Ireland have a distinct regional political scene compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. The major mainland UK political entities maintain a nominal presence in the country and local parties campaign to represent Northern Irish issues. Politics is mainly split on unionist and nationalist divides, with those wanting to remain part of the United Kingdom on one side and those wanting to unite with the Republic of Ireland on the other. Cross community parties exist, but have not gained as much political support.

Following the previous general election in 2001 and the 2003 Assembly elections, both moderate unionist and nationalist parties continued to lose support as the electorate turned towards the DUP and Sinn Féin. Policing and the fallout from Stormontgate dominated the election campaign. The devolved government in Northern Ireland was suspended in October 2002 after an alleged Provisional IRA spy ring was uncovered at Stormont. Policing in Northern Ireland was a sensitive topic for nationalists, who associated the Royal Ulster Constabulary with the unionist community for their actions during the Troubles. In November 2001, the Police Service of Northern Ireland was established to replace the RUC. Done as an attempt to reform policing, it was viewed with skepticism by Sinn Féin.