How many seats for a majority UK?

A party needs 326 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons to win an overall majority in the UK. In practice the working majority figure is slightly lower. The Speaker and deputies do not vote, and Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats. In 2024 Labour won 411 seats.

The House of Commons has 650 constituencies, each electing one MP. Half of 650 is 325, so 326 gives a party more MPs than all the others combined. A party with 326 or more seats can usually pass laws and survive confidence votes without help from others. Anything less means a hung parliament. A party with fewer seats may form a minority government instead.

The effective figure is a little lower. The Speaker does not vote except to break a tie, and the three deputy speakers usually do not vote either. Sinn Féin, which won seven seats in 2024, refuses to take its seats at Westminster. So a working majority can be achieved with around 322 or 323 MPs. The Speaker is elected as an MP.

The size of a majority matters. At the 2024 general election Labour won 411 seats, giving it a majority of 172. A large majority lets a government pass contested laws even if some of its own MPs rebel. A small majority, like the Conservatives had after 2017, makes every vote a struggle. Big majorities can also breed complacency, critics say.