List of successful votes of no confidence in British governments

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A vote of no confidence happens when Parliament says it no longer supports the government. If the motion passes, the prime minister usually resigns or calls a general election. This is a simplified list of every time a British government was defeated in such a vote. There have been 24 successful no-confidence votes in Britain's history. The most recent was in March 1979 against the Labour government of James Callaghan, which led to a general election won by Margaret Thatcher's Conservatives. The previous one before 1979 was in 1924.

Notable no-confidence votes (short version)
- 1742 — Robert Walpole: Walpole resigns after a no-confidence vote; often called the first prime minister’s resignation under this pressure.
- 1782 — Lord North: North’s cabinet resigns after a no-confidence vote.
- 1784 — William Pitt the Younger: multiple defeats in the House press Pitt to seek dissolution; he calls an election and retains a majority.
- 1830 — Duke of Wellington: resigns after a defeated motion; Whig leader Lord Grey forms a new government.
- 1835 — Robert Peel: Peel’s minority government faces defeats; King invites Lord Melbourne to form a government.
- 1841 — Lord Melbourne: one no-confidence vote defeats the government; Melbourne resigns and Peel becomes prime minister.
- 1846 — Sir Robert Peel: splits over Irish policy; government resigns after a budget defeat; Russell forms a Whig government.
- 1852 — Lord Derby: budget defeated; Derby resigns; Aberdeen forms a coalition government.
- 1855 — Earl of Aberdeen: Crimean War mismanagement leads to resignation.
- 1857–1859 — Lord Palmerston: after political controversies, government collapses and Palmerston returns with a Whig/Liberal majority.
- 1866 — Lord Russell: parliamentary reform proposals defeated; Russell resigns.
- 1873 — William Gladstone: University Education (Ireland) Bill defeat; Gladstone resigns briefly, Liberal government resumes.
- 1885 — William Gladstone: budget defeated; Gladstone resigns.
- 1886 — Marquess of Salisbury: “Three Acres and a Cow” amendment defeats the government; Salisbury resigns and Gladstone returns.
- 1892 — Salisbury: advisers no longer have confidence of the House; Gladstone becomes prime minister again.
- 1895 — Earl of Rosebery: Cordite vote defeats the government; resignation follows.
- 1924 — Baldwin: budget/confidence defeat; Ramsay MacDonald forms the first Labour government.
- 1979 — James Callaghan: Labour loses by one vote; general election follows, Thatcher wins.

In short: Britain has seen many no-confidence votes over the centuries, with the 1979 Callaghan vote being the most recent and the 1924 Baldwin/MacDonald transition marking a major shift toward Labour as a governing party.