1994 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

Last updated

1994 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1989 9 June 1994 1999  

87 seats to the European Parliament
Turnout36.4% (Steady2.svg)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Pauline Green 20050423 (cropped).jpg
Con
Official portrait of Lord Teverson crop 2, 2019.jpg
Leader Pauline Green Christopher Prout Robert Teverson
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Alliance PES EPP ALDE
Leader's seat London North Shropshire and Stafford (defeated) Cornwall and West Plymouth
Last election45 seats, 38.7%32 seats, 33.7%0 seats, 5.9%
Seats won62182
Seat changeIncrease2.svg17Decrease2.svg13Increase2.svg2
Popular vote6,753,8814,274,1222,557,887
Percentage42.6%26.8%16.1%
SwingIncrease2.svg3.9%Decrease2.svg6.7%Increase2.svg10.2%

 Fourth party
  Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland (cropped).jpg
Leader Alex Salmond
Party SNP
Alliance European Free Alliance
Leader since22 September 1990
Leader's seatN/A
Last election1 seat, 2.6%
Seats before1
Seats won2
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1
Popular vote487,237
Percentage3.1
SwingIncrease2.svg0.5%

European Parliament election, 1994 (United Kingdom).svg
Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

1994 UK European Parliament election.svg

Leader of Largest Party before election

Margaret Beckett
Labour

Subsequent Leader of Largest Party

Margaret Beckett
Labour

The 1994 European Parliament election was the fourth European election to be held in the United Kingdom. It was held on Thursday 9 June, though, as usual, the ballots were not counted until the evening of Sunday 12 June. The electoral system was, for the final European election, first past the post in England, Scotland and Wales and single transferable vote in Northern Ireland. This was the first election with 87 MEPs, the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1993 having increased the number of seats for the UK from 81. For the first time, the UK did not have the lowest turnout in Europe. Turnout was lower in the Netherlands and Portugal.

Contents

This was the first European election contested by the recently formed UK Independence Party (UKIP), and the first European election in which the Liberal Democrats won seats. The Green Party lost more than three-quarters of the votes they secured in the previous election. The Conservatives lost 14 seats, taking their number of seats down to 18, which was 42 fewer seats than in the 1979 election, the year they defeated the Labour Party in the 1979 General Election. This reflected the general unpopularity of the Major government at the time.

Six by-elections to the British Parliament also took place on the same day in the Barking, Bradford South, Dagenham, Eastleigh, Monklands East, and Newham North East constituencies. The Conservatives lost Eastleigh to the Liberal Democrats; Labour would hold the other five.

Labour was under the interim leadership of Margaret Beckett following the sudden death of leader John Smith the previous month.

Results

United Kingdom

Sources:

PartyVotes won [1]  % of voteLoss/GainSeats % of seatsLoss/Gain
Labour 6,753,88142.6Increase2.svg3.96271.3Increase2.svg17
Conservative 4,274,12226.8Decrease2.svg6.71820.7Decrease2.svg13
Liberal Democrats 2,557,88716.1Increase2.svg10.222.3Increase2.svg2
SNP 487,2373.1Increase2.svg0.522.3Increase2.svg1
Green 471,2573.0Decrease2.svg11.50Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
DUP 163,2461.0Steady2.svg11.1Steady2.svg
Plaid Cymru 162,4781.0Increase2.svg0.30Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
SDLP 161,9921.0Increase2.svg0.211.1Steady2.svg
Independent 153,9171.0Increase2.svg0.90Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
UKIP 150,2511.0New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Ulster Unionist 133,4590.8Increase2.svg0.111.1Steady2.svg
Liberal 100,5000.6New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Natural Law 98,8450.6New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Sinn Féin 55,2150.3Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Scottish Green 23,3040.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Alliance 23,1570.1Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
National Front 12,4690.1Increase2.svg0.10Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Moderate Labour 12,1130.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Literal Democrat 10,2030.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Ulster Independence 7,8580.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Monster Raving Loony 7,7980.1Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Ind. Conservative 5,8470.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Independent Socialist5,0710.0New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Communist 4,3230.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Mebyon Kernow 3,3150.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Workers' Party 2,5430.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Labour Party NI 2,4640.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Other7,8370.1N/A0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg

Total votes cast – 15,852,589. All parties shown.

Great Britain

Map of the Scottish results. European Parliament election, 1994 (Scotland).svg
Map of the Scottish results.

Sources:

PartyVotes won [1]  % of voteLoss/GainSeats % of seatsLoss/Gain
Labour 6,753,88144.2Increase2.svg4.16273.8Increase2.svg17
Conservative 4,268,53927.8Decrease2.svg6.81821.4Decrease2.svg13
Liberal Democrats 2,557,88716.7Increase2.svg10.622.4Increase2.svg2
SNP 487,2373.2Increase2.svg0.522.4Increase2.svg1
Green 471,2573.1Decrease2.svg11.80Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Plaid Cymru 162,4781.1Increase2.svg0.30Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Independent 151,8581.0Increase2.svg0.90Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
UKIP 150,2511.0New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Liberal 100,5000.7New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Natural Law 96,5540.6New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Scottish Green 23,3040.2New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
National Front 12,4690.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Moderate Labour 12,1130.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Literal Democrat 10,2030.1New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Monster Raving Loony 7,7980.1Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Ind. Conservative 5,8470.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Independent Socialist5,0710.0New0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Communist 4,3230.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Mebyon Kernow 3,3150.0Steady2.svg0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg
Other7,8370.1N/A0Steady2.svgSteady2.svg

Total votes cast – 15,292,722. All parties shown.

Northern Ireland

Map of Northern Irish results European Parliament election, 1979-1999 (Northern Ireland, UK).svg
Map of Northern Irish results
European Parliament election, 1994 (United Kingdom): Northern Ireland – 3 seats [2] [3]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
12
DUP Ian Paisley 29.2163,246 
SDLP John Hume 28.9161,992 
Ulster Unionist Jim Nicholson 23.8133,459149,541.25
Alliance Mary Clark-Glass 4.123,15723,375.55
Sinn Féin Tom Hartley 3.821,27321,278.10
Sinn Féin Dodie McGuinness 3.117,19517,238.95
Sinn Féin Francie Molloy 3.016,74716.756.60
Ulster Independence Hugh Ross 1.47,85812,575.05
NI Conservatives Myrtle Boal1.05,5836,106.95
Workers' Party John Lowry 0.52,5432,579.00
Labour Party NI Niall Cusack0.42,4642,518.90
Natural Law James Anderson0.21,4181,492.70
Independent June Campion0.21,0881,127.15
Independent David Kerr 0.1571877.15
Natural Law Susannah Thompson0.1454534.40
Independent Robert Mooney0.1400455.95
Natural Law Michael Kennedy0.1419443.90
Electorate: 1,151,389  Valid: 559,867  Spoilt: 9,234  Quota: 139,967  Turnout: 49.4%  

    MEPs retiring

    Conservative

    Labour

    MEPs defeated

    Labour

    Conservative

    See also

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