The General Election of 1987

The result of the 1987 election gave further evidence of the distinctive character of the Scottish political system. It revealed an increasing gap between Scottish and English voting behaviour and produced a strain in the workings of the Scottish political institutions, since the Conservative MPs in Scotland were reduced to ten from their previous total of twenty-one. This was barely sufficient for the Government to provide ministers for the Scottish Office and the Law Departments, let alone make any other ministerial appointments from their Scottish MPs (George Younger was the only Scottish MP appointed to a non-Scottish post, as Defence Secretary). It was to prove particularly embarrassing for the Government in the Scottish Committees of the House of Commons which require a Government majority (the Scottish Standing Committees and the Select Committee on Scottish Affairs). The former, with a minimum of 16 Scottish MPs, tied up nearly all the Scottish Conservative MPs, and the latter had to be reduced from 13 MPs to nine, since only backbenchers can serve on Select Committees. Even then, the Government was unable to find the five MPs required for a majority, since three at first refused to serve, claiming it was a ‘waste of time’. By June 1988, the Committee had still not been appointed.