Thirty-three years ago today, on April 9, 1992 (March 7, 1992), the Conservative Party won the British general election. On April 9, 1992, the Conservative Party won the British general election. In the British general election held on April 9, 1992, pollsters, like all opposition parties, suffered a crushing defeat. Various opinion polls had widely predicted that the election result would be close, or that Labour would win by a narrow margin. On the contrary, John Major's Conservative Party held on to power, despite a shrinking majority, thus initiating an almost unprecedented fourth consecutive Conservative government. Four days later, after nine years as leader of the Labour Party, Neil Kinnock announced his intention to step down. A fiery orator, he was widely seen as the man who could bring Labour back to power after a bitter internal battle in the early 1980s. He was replaced by John Smith in July.