Labour held Aberdare, with Plaid Cymru in second place, Eton and Slough, and Workington, and gained Dundee East and Dundee West from SNP. The Tories held Ashford, Canterbury, Crosby, and Harwich, and Norman Tebbit was back in Chingford. The Liberals kept Dartford, Stockport North, and Wokingham. They also won Hertfordshire South from Conservative with a majority of 7.8%, The previous Conservative majority was 3.8% . Here are the percentage votes:
Liberal: 39.3 (35.0)
Labour: 31.5 (26.2)
Conservative: 29.2 (38.8),.
Labour held Swansea East and gained Lincoln from Liberal. The Conservatives kept Clitheroe, Havant and Waterloo, Morecambe and Lonsdale, and Warwick and Leamington. There was a recount in Kenilworth, where Enoch Powell was defending a Conservative majority of 4.9% over Liberal.
Labour held Battersea North, Battersea South, Bradford West, and Mansfield. They also gained Bradford North from Liberal, and Newark from Conservative, The Conservatives have held Altrincham and Sale, and South Fylde. The Liberals have kept Chelmsford, and Gillingham. Barbara Castle is back in Leeds South. Her majority over Liberal is up from 30.5% to 39.2%. Labour also held Manchester Blackley, Motherwell and Wishaw, with their majority over SNP up from 2.8% to 12.1%, and Tooting. They took Blackpool South, and King's Lynn from Conservative. The Tories have held Bromsgrove and Redditch. Ramsgate, Solihull, and Wycombe.
The Liberals held Hazel Grove, Montgomeryshire, and Wells, and gained Worcester from the Tories. Labour retained Birmingham Small Heath, Coventry North-East, Coventry North- West, Durham North-West, and Middlesbrough East. Denis Healey, the leader of the Liberal Party, and Home Secretary, was back in Bradford South. The percentage votes were as follows:
Denis Healey (Liberal): 51.7 (49.4)
Labour: 24.3 (27.8)
Conservative: 20.5 (26.3)
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L,iberal majority: 23.1 (23.9)
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The declaration of the result was broadcast live from Bradford Town Hall on the television and radio election results programmes. Healey was interviewed by Robin Day for the BBT. Day asked him: "If Labour do not win an overall majority of seats in the House of Commons, will your party continue in coalition with them."
"If the Prime Minister wants to continue with the coalition, and Liberal MPs vote to stay in the coalition. I believe that such a government would be best for this country, if agreement can be reached on policies."
At 1 o'clock in the morning of 9 June 1986, the number of seats won so far by each party, were as follows: Labour - 59, Liberal - 30 and Conservative - 19.