Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 12 March 1947.
Mr Richard Stokes
, Ipswich
12:00,
12 March 1947
Before my right hon. Friend replies, may I ask him if he is aware that probably the vast Majority of the inhabitants of that island prefer to remain as they are?
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
