1984 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

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1984 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

← 1979 14 June 1984 1989 →

81 seats to the European Parliament
Turnout32.6% (Increase0.2%)
  First party Second party
 
Leader Henry Plumb Barbara Castle
Party Conservative Labour
Alliance EPP PES
Leader's seat Cotswolds Greater Manchester West
Last election 60 seats, 48.4% 17 seats, 31.6%
Seats won 45 32
Seat change Decrease15 Increase15
Popular vote 5,426,866 4,865,224
Percentage 38.8% 34.8%
Swing Decrease9.6% Increase3.1%

Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

The 1984 European Parliament election was the second European election to be held in the United Kingdom. It was held on 14 June. The electoral system was First Past the Post in England, Scotland and Wales and Single transferable vote in Northern Ireland. The turnout was again the lowest in Europe. In England, Scotland and Wales, the Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party were in alliance, collecting 2,591,635 votes but not a single seat.

The election represented a small recovery for Labour, under Michael Foot's replacement Neil Kinnock, taking 15 seats from the Conservatives. In the general election of 1983, they had only had a vote share of 2% more than the SDP–Liberal Alliance (although they had nearly 10 times more MP's elected) and 15% less than the Conservatives. This was the last European election in the UK in which the governing party won a majority of seats.

A by-election to the British Parliament also took place on the same day in the Portsmouth South constituency - the Alliance gained the seat from the Conservatives.

Results

United Kingdom

Source: UK Parliament briefing

Party Votes won % of vote Loss/Gain Seats % of seats Loss/Gain
Conservative 5,426,866 38.8 Decrease9.6 45 55.6 Decrease15
Labour 4,865,224 34.8 Increase3.1 32 39.5 Increase15
Alliance 2,591,659 18.5 Increase5.9 0 Steady Steady
SNP 230,594 1.6 Decrease0.2 1 1.2 Steady
DUP 230,251 1.6 Increase0.4 1 1.2 Steady
SDLP 151,399 1.1 Steady 1 1.2 Steady
Ulster Unionist 147,169 1.1 Increase0.1 1 1.2 Steady
Plaid Cymru 103,031 0.8 Increase0.1 0 Steady Steady
Sinn Féin 91,476 0.7 New 0 Steady Steady
Ecology 73,025 0.5 Increase0.4 0 Steady Steady
Alliance 34,046 0.2 Steady 0 Steady Steady
UPUP 20,092 0.1 New 0 Steady Steady
Independent 11,073 0.1 Decrease0.1 0 Steady Steady
Workers' Party 8,712 0.1 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Independent Ecology 3,330 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Ind. Conservative 3,249 0.0 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Ind. Liberal 2,981 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Wessex Regionalist 2,365 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Cornish Nationalist 1,892 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Federal Republican Party 1,494 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
  • Overall (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) turnout: 32.6% (EC average: 61%)
  • Overall votes cast: 13,998,190

Great Britain

Source: UK Parliament briefing

Party Votes won % of vote Loss/Gain Seats % of seats Loss/Gain
Conservative 5,426,866 40.8 Decrease9.8 45 57.7 Decrease15
Labour 4,865,224 36.5 Increase3.5 32 41.0 Increase15
Alliance 2,591,659 19.5 Increase6.3 0 Steady Steady
SNP 230,594 1.7 Decrease0.2 1 1.3 Steady
Plaid Cymru 103,031 0.8 Increase0.1 0 Steady Steady
Ecology 70,853 0.5 Increase0.4 0 Steady Steady
Independent 11,073 0.1 Decrease0.1 0 Steady Steady
Independent Ecology 3,330 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Ind. Conservative 3,249 0.0 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Ind. Liberal 2,981 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Wessex Regionalist 2,365 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Cornish Nationalist 1,892 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Federal Republican Party 1,494 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady

Total votes cast – 13,312,898. All parties listed.

Northern Ireland

Source: Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive

1984 European Parliament election: Northern Ireland[1]
Party Candidate FPv% Count
1 2 3 4
DUP Ian Paisley 33.6 230,251      
Ulster Unionist John Taylor 21.5 147,169 185,714    
SDLP John Hume 22.1 151,399 151,664 156,310 183,256
Sinn Féin Danny Morrison 13.3 91,476 91,525 92,644 93,079
Alliance David Cook 5.0 34,046 34,892 37,401  
UPUP James Kilfedder 2.9 20,092 38,293 38,854  
Workers' Party Seamus Lynch 1.3 8,712 8,813    
Ecology Colin McGuigan 0.3 2,172 2,236    
Electorate: 1,065,363   Valid: 685,317   Spoilt: 11,654   Quota: 171,330   Turnout: 696,994  

Constituency results

Source: [1]

Constituency Constituency result by party Winning party 1984
Conservative Labour Alliance PC SNP Ecology Others
Bedfordshire South 72,088 57,106 36,444 Conservative
Birmingham East 54,994 76,377 21,927 1,440 Labour
Birmingham West 55,702 61,946 19,422 Labour
Bristol 94,652 77,008 33,698 Conservative
Cambridge and Bedfordshire North 86,117 38,901 36,341 Conservative
Cheshire East 71,182 52,806 31,374 Conservative
Cheshire West 74,579 64,887 30,470 Conservative
Cleveland and Yorkshire North 73,217 52,887 31,374 Conservative
Cornwall and Plymouth 81,627 35,952 63,876 10,518 Conservative
Cotswolds 94,740 36,738 45,798 Conservative
Cumbria and Lancashire North 86,127 62,332 39,622 Conservative
Derbyshire 72,613 79,466 30,824 Labour
Devon 110,129 30,017 53,519 7,278 Conservative
Dorset East and Hampshire West 109,072 31,223 49,181 Conservative
Durham 44,846 106,073 32,307 Labour
Essex North East 97,138 42,836 34,769 Conservative
Essex South West 72,190 56,169 29,385 Conservative
Glasgow 25,282 91,015 20,867 16,456 Labour
Greater Manchester Central 48,753 76,830 24,192 1,430 Labour
Greater Manchester East 56,415 65,101 27,801 3,158 Labour
Greater Manchester West 56,042 93,740 17,894 Labour
Hampshire Central 84,086 39,228 39,265 Conservative
Hereford and Worcester 84,077 44,143 37,854 8,179 Conservative
Hertfordshire 87,603 41,671 40,877 Conservative
Highlands and Islands 18,847 16,644 33,133 49,410 SNP
Humberside 61,952 53,937 27,318 Conservative
Kent East 92,340 43,473 34,601 5,405 Conservative
Kent West 85,414 50,784 33,306 4,991 Conservative
Lancashire Central 82,370 56,175 24,936 Conservative
Lancashire East 67,806 75,711 26,320 Labour
Leeds 60,178 70,535 36,097 Labour
Leicester 72,508 69,616 29,656 3,249 Conservative
Lincolnshire 92,606 47,161 37,244 Conservative
London Central 64,545 77,842 30,269 7,514 Labour
London East 61,711 73,870 26,379 Labour
London North 74,846 69,993 31,344 4,682 Conservative
London North East 27,242 79,907 17,344 4,797 Labour
London North West 69,803 62,381 29,609 Conservative
London South and Surrey East 82,122 37,465 34,522 Conservative
London South East 81,508 61,493 38,614 989 Conservative
London South Inner 46,180 77,661 25,391 3,281 Labour
London South West 41,096 32,632 23,842 2,135 Conservative
London West 74,325 79,554 36,687 4,361 Labour
Lothians 49,065 74,989 36,636 22,331 2,560 Labour
Merseyside East 38,047 87,086 17,259 Labour
Merseyside West 52,718 65,915 37,303 Labour
Mid and West Wales 52,910 89,362 35,168 32,880 4,266 Labour
Mid Scotland and Fife 52,872 80,038 24,220 30,511 Labour
Midlands East 67,884 55,155 27,912 1,494 Conservative
Midlands West 54,406 74,091 17,709 Labour
Norfolk 95,459 58,602 37,703 Conservative
North East Scotland 53,809 44,648 25,490 33,448 Conservative
North Wales 69,139 54,768 56,861 38,117 Conservative
Northamptonshire 88,668 48,809 37,421 3,330 Conservative
Northumbria 62,717 78,412 42,946 Labour
Nottingham 82,500 66,374 33,169 Conservative
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire 94,136 39,164 45,055 Conservative
Sheffield 47,247 93,530 23,935 Labour
Shropshire and Stafford 82,291 57,359 37,209 Conservative
Somerset and Dorset West 98,928 36,863 58,677 Conservative
South of Scotland 60,843 57,706 23,598 22,242 Conservative
South Wales 55,678 99,936 26,588 13,201 Labour
South Wales East 36,359 131,916 28,330 18,833 Labour
Staffordshire East 68,886 76,753 26,093 Labour
Strathclyde East 24,857 90,792 11,883 27,330 Labour
Strathclyde West 47,196 70,234 25,955 28,866 Labour
Suffolk 88,243 41,145 34,084 Conservative
Surrey West 96,675 22,531 44,087 Conservative
Sussex East 102,287 32,213 36,666 5,401 Conservative
Sussex West 104,257 22,857 46,755 3,842 Conservative
Thames Valley 74,928 36,123 32,704 Conservative
Tyne and Wear 39,610 89,024 19,081 Labour
Wight and Hampshire East 96,666 36,445 53,738 Conservative
Wiltshire 86,873 35,457 60,404 Conservative
York 80,636 44,234 33,356 Conservative
Yorkshire South 30,271 98,020 19,306 Labour
Yorkshire South West 44,291 88,464 26,964 Labour
Yorkshire West 65,405 86,259 28,709 Labour

See also

References

  1. ^ The 1984 European Election, Northern Ireland Elections