<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> 2015 election </Li> <Li> MPs </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> 2015 election </Li> <Li> MPs </Li> </Ul> <P> The 2005 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the House of Commons . The Labour Party led by Tony Blair won their third consecutive victory, with Blair becoming the first Labour leader since Harold Wilson to form three majority governments . However, their majority now stood at 66 seats compared to the 160 - seat majority it had previously held . As of 2018, it remains the last general election victory for the Labour Party . </P> <P> The Labour campaign emphasised a strong economy; however, Blair had suffered a decline in popularity, which was exacerbated by the decision to send British troops to invade Iraq in 2003 . Despite this, Labour mostly retained its leads in the opinion polls over the Conservatives on economic competence and leadership, and Conservative leaders Iain Duncan - Smith (2001 - 3) and Michael Howard (2003 - 5) struggled to capitalise on Blair's unpopularity, with the party consistently trailing Labour in the polls throughout the 2001 - 5 Parliament . </P>

Which political party was in power in 2005