| Election | MEPs | Nations | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | In total | ||
| June 1979 | 81 | 410 | 9 |
| June 1984 | 81 | 434 | 10 |
| June 1989 | 81 | 518 | 12 |
| June 1994 | 87 | 567 | 12 |
| June 1999 | 87 | 626 | 15 |
| June 2004 | 78 | 732 | 25 |
| June 2009 | 72 | 736 | 27 |
| May 2014 | 73 | 751 | 28 |
Until 1994, the number of MEPs that "The Nine" (Belgium, Denmark, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, United Kingdom) had remained constant, and the four largest nations (France, Germany, Italy, UK) each had 81 MEPs. The expansion in the Parliament's size was Greece being given 24 MEPs when it joined in January 1981, and Portugal and Spain being given 24 and 60 MEPs respectively when they joined in January 1986.
By 1994 there had been two major changes. Firstly, the old German Democratic Republic had been absorbed into the Federal Republic in October 1990, and as a consequence, the parity in seats for the four largest nations ended. Germany received an additional 18 seats (bringing it up to 99), while France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom each received an extra 6 seats, Span received an extra 4, with Belgium, Greece and Portugal (all of whom had had 24 MEPs) received an extra seat each - creating an extra 49 seats. The second big change was the Treaty of Maastricht coming into force in November 1993, replacing the European Communities with the European Union, and giving the Parliament more powers.
January 1995 saw Austria (21 MEPs), Finland (16 MEPs) and Sweden (22 MEPs) join, pushing the Parliament up to 626 seats.
The Treaty of Nice came into force in February 2003, setting an upper limit of 732 MEPs (which could be breached, temporarily, if new countries joined between elections).
In May 2004 there was a major expansion of the EU, with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joining, bringing the EU to 25 member nations. The Parliament elected the following month saw many countries have a reduction in MEPs in order to keep the Nice cap.
In January 2007 Bulgaria (18 MEPs) and Romania (35 MEPs) joined the EU, brinng the Parliament up to 785 MEPs. As this was mid-term, breaching the Nice cap was not an issue, but the size of the Parliament was reduced by 49 members for the 2009 election. Croatia - with 12 MEPs - joined in July 2013, bringing the Parliament up to 748.
The Treaty of Lisbon came into force in December 2009, which set the size of the Parliament at 750 members from the 2014 election, with each nation being entitled to a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 96 seats. Historically, France, Italy and the United Kingdom had the same number of seats, but this Treaty put France on 74, the United Kingdom on 73 and Italy on 72. To ensure Italy was treated equally as the United Kingdom, the size was increased to 751 members.
The June 1989 European election had given the result:
- Labour - 45
- Conservative - 32
- Scottish National Party - 1
- Democratic Unionist Party - 1
- Social Democratic & Labour Party - 1
- Ulster Unionist Party - 1
The 1989 election was controversial as the Greens obtained their best ever result - 14.42% of the vote - but won no seats. This was the first election I was really aware of, as - although I was too young to vote - most of the students at my sixth-form college were able to. Our European constituency - Dorset East & West Hampshire - was one where the Greens came second.
Labour's 38.72% was their best result in a national election since the October 1974 general election, and ended up being their highest share of the vote under Neil Kinnock's leadership (the April 1992 general election saw their share of the vote fall from 1989). The Conservatives' 33.54% was their worst result in a national election since the April/May 1859 general election.
The 1989 election was also the last national election with Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister.
The following 26 seats were unchanged:
- Birmingham East
- Birmingham West
- Durham
- Fife & Mid Scotland
- Glasgow
- Highlands & Islands
- Leeds
- London Central
- London East
- London North
- London North East
- London North West
- London West
- Lothians
- Merseyside East (renamed Merseyside East & Wigan)
- Merseyside West
- Midlands West
- Northern Ireland (3-member constituency)
- Northumbria
- Scotland North East
- Scotland South
- Strathclyde East
- Strathclyde West
- Thames Valley
- Tyne & Wear
- Yorkshire South
Next we can look at how the 1984/1989 constituencies were split up for 1994:
| Constituency | Percentage | New constituency |
|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire South | 56.81% | Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes |
| 29.94% | Hertfordshire | |
| 13.25% | Essex West & East Hertfordshire | |
| Bristol | 75.11% | Bristol |
| 24.89% | Wiltshire North & Bath | |
| Cambridge & North Bedfordshire | 72.66% | Cambridgeshire |
| 27.34% | Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes | |
| Cheshire East | 57.96% | Cheshire East |
| 14.31% | Peak District | |
| 14.30% | Cheshire West & Wirral | |
| 13.44% | Staffordshire West & Congleton | |
| Cheshire West | 86.05% | Cheshire West & Wirral |
| 13.95% | Cheshire East | |
| Cleveland & North Yorkshire | 86.80% | Cleveland & Richmond |
| 13.20% | North Yorkshire | |
| Cornwall & Plymouth | 87.77% | Cornwall & West Plymouth |
| 12.23% | Devon & East Plymouth | |
| Cotswolds | 72.61% | Cotswolds |
| 14.67% | Worcestershire & South Warwickshire | |
| 12.73% | Buckinghamshire & East Oxfordshire | |
| Cumbria & North Lancashire | 89.27% | Cumbria & North Lancashire |
| 10.73% | Lancashire Central | |
| Derbyshire | 63.62% | Peak District |
| 24.63% | Staffordshire East & Derby | |
| 11.75% | Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield | |
| Devon | 75.43% | Devon & East Plymouth |
| 13.14% | Dorset & East Devon | |
| 11.44% | Somerset & North Devon | |
| Dorset East & West Hampshire | 62.44% | Dorset & East Devon |
| 37.56% | Itchen, Test & Avon | |
| Essex North East | 67.30% | Essex North & South Suffolk |
| 32.70% | Essex South | |
| Essex South West | 50.28% | Essex West & East Hertfordshire |
| 49.72% | Essex South | |
| Greater Manchester Central | 61.58% | Greater Manchester Central |
| 25.23% | Cheshire East | |
| 13.20% | Greater Manchester West | |
| Greater Manchester East | 62.24% | Greater Manchester East |
| 37.76% | Greater Manchester Central | |
| Greater Manchester West | 86.65% | Greater Manchester West |
| 13.35% | Lancashire South | |
| Hampshire Central | 42.92% | Hampshire North & Oxford |
| 42.74% | Itchen, Test & Avon | |
| 14.34% | Wight & South Hampshire | |
| Hereford & Worcester | 51.27% | Worcestershire & South Warwickshire |
| 35.48% | Hereford & Shropshire | |
| 13.25% | Cotswolds | |
| Hertfordshire | 70.73% | Hertfordshire |
| 29.27% | Essex West & East Hertfordshire | |
| Humberside | 70.61% | Humberside |
| 29.39% | Lincolnshire & South Humberside | |
| Kent East | 87.22% | Kent East |
| 12.78% | Kent West | |
| Kent West | 74.34% | Kent West |
| 25.66% | East Sussex & South Kent | |
| Lancashire Central | 56.83% | Lancashire Central |
| 43.17% | Lancashire South | |
| Lancashire East | 39.08% | Lancashire South |
| 35.99% | Greater Manchester East | |
| 24.93% | Lancashire Central | |
| Leicester | 61.56% | Leicester |
| 24.59% | Coventry & North Warwickshire | |
| 13.86% | Nottingham & North West Leicestershire | |
| Lincolnshire | 64.28% | Lincolnshire & South Humberside |
| 23.09% | Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield | |
| 12.63% | Leicester | |
| London South & East Surrey | 85.61% | London South & East Surrey |
| 14.39% | Surrey | |
| London South East | 91.31% | London South East |
| 8.69% | London South Inner | |
| London South Inner | 89.01% | London South Inner |
| 10.99% | London South West | |
| London South West | 85.97% | London South West |
| 14.03% | London South & East Surrey | |
| Midlands Central | 71.94% | Coventry & North Warwickshire |
| 28.06% | Worcestershire & South Warwickshire | |
| Norfolk | 86.75% | Norfolk |
| 13.25% | Suffolk & South West Norfolk | |
| Northamptonshire | 87.09% | Northamptonshire & Blaby |
| 12.91% | Leicester | |
| Nottingham | 62.48% | Nottingham & North West Leicestershire |
| 24.66% | Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield | |
| 12.85% | Peak District | |
| Oxford & Buckinghamshire | 75.14% | Buckinghamshire & East Oxfordshire |
| 24.86% | Hampshire North & Oxford | |
| Sheffield | 74.20% | Sheffield |
| 25.80% | Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield | |
| Shropshire & Stafford | 51.36% | Hereford & Shropshire |
| 36.74% | Staffordshire West & Congleton | |
| 11.89% | Staffordshire East & Derby | |
| Somerset & West Dorset | 75.35% | Somerset & North Devon |
| 13.20% | Bristol | |
| 11.45% | Dorset & East Devon | |
| Staffordshire East | 51.68% | Staffordshire East & Derby |
| 35.93% | Staffordshire West & Congleton | |
| 12.39% | Nottingham & North West Leicestershire | |
| Suffolk | 70.63% | Suffolk & South West Norfolk |
| 15.25% | Essex North & South Suffolk | |
| 14.13% | Cambridgeshire | |
| Surrey West | 85.83% | Surrey |
| 14.17% | South Downs West | |
| Sussex East | 66.46% | East Sussex & South Kent |
| 33.54% | Sussex South & Crawley | |
| Sussex West | 55.63% | Sussex South & Crawley |
| 44.37% | South Downs West | |
| Wales Mid & West | 58.28% | Wales Mid & West |
| 41.72% | Wales South West | |
| Wales North | 86.46% | Wales North |
| 13.54% | Wales Mid & West | |
| Wales South | 69.11% | Wales South Central |
| 30.89% | Wales South West | |
| Wales South East | 80.63% | Wales South East |
| 19.37% | Wales South Central | |
| Wight & East Hampshire | 70.88% | Wight & South Hampshire |
| 29.12% | South Downs West | |
| Wiltshire | 61.14% | Wiltshire North & Bath |
| 25.72% | Hampshire North & Oxford | |
| 13.14% | Itchen, Test & Avon | |
| York | 71.87% | North Yorkshire |
| 28.13% | Humberside | |
| Yorkshire South West | 88.08% | Yorkshire South West |
| 11.92% | Sheffield | |
| Yorkshire West | 86.51% | Yorkshire West |
| 13.49% | Yorkshire South West |
We can now identify the 1984-1994 constituencies with their successors (if any) and will also look at which MEPs were seeking re-election in 1994:
| Constituency | MEP | Standing for re-election? | Successor constituency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire South | Peter Beazley | No | Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes |
| Birmingham East | Christine Crawley | Yes | Birmingham East |
| Birmingham West | John Tomlinson | Yes | Birmingham West |
| Bristol | Ian White | Yes | Bristol |
| Cambridge & North Bedfordshire | Fred Catherwood | No | Cambridgeshire |
| Cheshire East | Brian Simpson | Yes | Cheshire East |
| Cheshire West | Lyndon Harrison | Yes | Cheshire West & Wirral |
| Cleveland & North Yorkshire | David Bowe | Yes | Cleveland & Richmond |
| Cornwall & Plymouth | Christopher Beazley | Yes | Cornwall & West Plymouth |
| Cotswolds | Henry Plumb | Yes | Cotswolds |
| Cumbria & North Lancashire | Richard Fletcher-Vane [a] | Yes | Cumbria & North Lancashire |
| Derbyshire | Geoff Hoon [b] | No | Peak District |
| Devon | Charles Strachey [c] | Resigned seat May 1994 | Devon & East Plymouth |
| Dorset East & West Hampshire | Bryan Cassidy | Yes | Dorset & East Devon |
| Durham | Stephen Hughes | Yes | Durham |
| Essex North East | Anne McIntosh | Yes | Essex North & South Suffolk |
| Essex South West | Patricia Rawlings | Yes | Essex West & East Hertfordshire |
| Fife & Mid Scotland | Alex Falconer | Yes | Fife & Mid Scotland |
| Glasgow | Janey Buchan | No | Glasgow |
| Greater Manchester Central | Eddie Newman | Yes | Greater Manchester Central |
| Greater Manchester East | Glyn Ford | Yes | Greater Manchester East |
| Greater Manchester West | Gary Titley | Yes | Greater Manchester West |
| Hampshire Central | Edward Kellett-Bowman | Yes | Hampshire North & Oxford |
| Hereford & Worcester | James Scott-Hopkins | No | Worcestershire & South Warwickshire |
| Hertfordshire | Derek Prag | No | Hertfordshire |
| Highlands & Islands | Winnie Ewing | Yes | Highlands & Islands |
| Humberside | Peter Crampton | Yes | Humberside |
| Kent East | Christopher Jackson | Yes | Kent East |
| Kent West | Ben Patterson | Yes | Kent East |
| Lancashire Central | Michael Welsh | Yes | Lancashire Central |
| Lancashire East | Michael Hindley | Yes | None [d] |
| Leeds | Michael McGowan | Yes | Leeds |
| Leicester | Mel Read | Yes | Leicester |
| Lincolnshire | Bill Newton-Dunn | Yes | Lincolnshire & South Humberside |
| London Central | Stan Newens | Yes | London Central |
| London East | Carole Tongue | Yes | London East |
| London North | Pauline Green | Yes | London North |
| London North East | Alf Lomas | Yes | London North East |
| London North West | Nicholas Bethell [e] | Yes | London North West |
| London South & East Surrey | James Moorhouse | Yes | London South & East Surrey |
| London South East | Peter Price | Yes | London South East |
| London South Inner | Richard Balfe | Yes | London South Inner |
| London South West | Anita Pollack | Yes | London South West |
| London West | Michael Elliott | Yes | London West |
| Lothians | David Martin | Yes | Lothians |
| Merseyside East | Terry Wynn | Yes | Merseyside East & Wigan |
| Merseyside West | Kenneth Stewart | Yes | Merseyside West |
| Midlands Central | Christine Oddy | Yes | Coventry & North Warwickshire |
| Midlands West | John Bird | No | Midlands West |
| Norfolk | Paul Howell | Yes | Norfolk |
| Northamptonshire | Anthony Simpson | Yes | Northamptonshire & Blaby |
| Northumbria | Gordon Adam | Yes | Northumbria |
| Nottingham | Ken Coates | Yes | Nottingham & North West Leicestershire |
| Oxford & Buckinghamshire | James Elles | Yes | Buckinghamshire & East Oxfordshire |
| Scotland North East | Henry McCubbin | Yes | Scotland North East |
| Scotland South | Alex Smith | Yes | Scotland South |
| Sheffield | Roger Barton | Yes | Sheffield |
| Shropshire & Stafford | Christopher Prout | Yes | Hereford & Shropshire |
| Somerset & West Dorset | Margaret Daly | Yes | Somerset & North Devon |
| Staffordshire East | George Stevenson [f] | No | Staffordshire East & Derby |
| Strathclyde East | Ken Collins | Yes | Strathclyde East |
| Strathclyde West | Hugh McMahon | Yes | Strathclyde West |
| Suffolk | Amédée Turner | Yes | Suffolk & South West Norfolk |
| Surrey West | Tom Spencer | Yes | Surrey |
| Sussex East | Jack Stewart-Clark | Yes | East Sussex & South Kent |
| Sussex West | Madron Seligman | No | Sussex South & Crawley |
| Thames Valley | John Stevens | Yes | Thames Valley |
| Tyne & Wear | Alan Donnelly | Yes | Tyne & Wear |
| Wales Mid & West | David Morris | Yes | Wales Mid & West |
| Wales North | Joe Wilson | Yes | Wales North |
| Wales South | Wayne David | Yes | Wales South Central |
| Wales South East | Llew Smith [g] | No | Wales South East |
| Wight & East Hampshire | Richard Simmonds | No | Wight & South Hampshire |
| Wiltshire | Caroline Jackson | Yes | Wiltshire North & Bath |
| York | Edward McMillan-Scott | Yes | North Yorkshire |
| Yorkshire South | Norman West | Yes | Yorkshire South |
| Yorkshire South West | Tom Megahy | Yes | Yorkshire South West |
| Yorkshire West | Barry Seal | Yes | Yorkshire West |
| None | Essex South | ||
| None | Itchen, Test & Avon | ||
| None | Lancashire South | ||
| None | Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield | ||
| None | South Downs West | ||
| None | Staffordshire West & Congleton | ||
| None | Wales South West | ||
[a] Fletcher-Vane became the 2nd Lord Inglewood a week after the 1989 election.
[b] Hoon was elected Labour MP for Ashfield (which lay within his European constituency) at the 1992 general election.
[c] Strachey was a member of the House of Lords as the 4th Lord O'Hagan.
[d] While it might appear that Lancashire South is the natural successor to Lancashire East, it picked up more voters from Lancashire Central than from Lancashire East.
[e] Bethell was also a member of the House of Lords as the 4th Lord Bethell.
[f] Stevenson was elected Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South (which lay within his European constituency) at the 1992 general election.
[g] Smith was elected Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent (which lay within his European constituency) at the 1992 general election.
Note that not every MEP seeking re-election stood in their successor seat:
| MEP | Successor seat | Stood in | Ken Coates | Nottingham & North West Leicestershire | Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Hindley | None | Lancashire South |
| Edward Kellett-Bowman | Hampshire North & Oxford | Itchen, Test & Avon |
| David Morris | Wales Mid & West | Wales South West |
| Mel Read | Leicester | Nottingham & North West Leicestershire |
We can now look at the partisan effects of the new constituencies:
| Party | Seats | Changing hands due to boundary changes | Abolished seats | Created seats | Notional seats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gained | Lost | |||||
| Labour | 45 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 48 |
| Conservative | 32 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 35 |
| Scottish National Party | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Social Democratic & Labour Party | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
The notional results are:
Labour (48 seats)
| Constituency | Majority | Runner-up | Held in 1994? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyne & Wear | 95,780 | Conservative | Yes |
| Yorkshire South | 91,784 | Conservative | Yes |
| Durham | 86,848 | Conservative | Yes |
| Wales South East | 79,195 | Conservative | Yes |
| Merseyside East & Wigan | 76,867 | Conservative | Yes |
| Wales South West | 69,762 | Conservative | Yes |
| Sheffield | 65,558 | Conservative | Yes |
| Yorkshire South West | 61,293 | Conservative | Yes |
| Strathclyde East | 60,317 | Scottish National Party | Yes |
| Northumbria | 60,040 | Conservative | Yes |
| Glasgow | 59,232 | Scottish National Party | Yes |
| Greater Manchester East | 58,959 | Conservative | Yes |
| Wales South Central | 57,554 | Conservative | Yes |
| Fife & Mid Scotland | 52,157 | Scottish National Party | Yes |
| Merseyside West | 49,817 | Conservative | Yes |
| Greater Manchester West | 49,400 | Conservative | Yes |
| London North East | 47,767 | Conservative | Yes |
| Birmingham East | 46,948 | Conservative | Yes |
| Nottinghamshire North & Chesterfield | 46,772 | Conservative | Yes |
| Leeds | 42,518 | Conservative | Yes |
| Midlands West | 42,364 | Conservative | Yes |
| London South Inner | 42,186 | Conservative | Yes |
| Strathclyde West | 39,591 | Scottish National Party | Yes |
| Lothians | 38,826 | Conservative | Yes |
| Cleveland & Richmond | 33,643 | Conservative | Yes |
| Yorkshire West | 32,070 | Conservative | Yes |
| Birmingham West | 30,860 | Conservative | Yes |
| London East | 27,385 | Conservative | Yes |
| Greater Manchester Central | 27,284 | Conservative | Yes |
| Staffordshire West & Congleton | 20,090 | Conservative | Yes |
| Coventry & North Warwickshire | 20,002 | Conservative | Yes |
| Lancashire South | 19,856 | Conservative | Yes |
| Staffordshire East & Derby | 18,461 | Conservative | Yes |
| Cheshire West & Wirral | 16,858 | Conservative | Yes |
| Cheshire East | 16,805 | Conservative | Yes |
| Scotland South | 15,693 | Conservative | Yes |
| London West | 14,808 | Conservative | Yes |
| London Central | 11,542 | Conservative | Yes |
| Wales Mid & West | 11,527 | Conservative | Yes |
| London South West | 10,723 | Conservative | Yes |
| Wales North | 9,378 | Conservative | Yes |
| Bristol | 7,715 | Conservative | Yes |
| London North | 5,837 | Conservative | Yes |
| Nottingham & North West Leicestershire | 4,966 | Conservative | Yes |
| Humberside | 4,389 | Conservative | Yes |
| Peak District | 3,651 | Conservative | Yes |
| Scotland North East | 2,613 | Scottish National Party | No - lost to Scottish National Party |
| Cumbria & North Lancashire | 1,610 | Conservative | Yes |
Conservative (35 seats)
| Constituency | Majority | Runner-up | Held in 1994? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorset & East Devon | 51,621 | Green | Yes |
| Devon & East Plymouth | 49,889 | Green | Yes |
| Buckinghamshire & East Oxfordshire | 49,596 | Green | Yes |
| North Yorkshire | 45,176 | Green | Yes |
| South Downs West | 44,913 | Green | Yes |
| East Sussex & South Kent | 42,656 | Green | Yes |
| Somerset & North Devon | 42,206 | Green | No - lost to Liberal Democrat |
| Surrey | 42,112 | Green | Yes |
| Itchen, Test & Avon | 39,047 | Labour | Yes |
| Hampshire North & Oxford | 36,794 | Labour | Yes |
| Sussex South & Crawley | 36,499 | Labour | Yes |
| Wight & South Hampshire | 33,315 | Labour | Yes |
| London South & East Surrey | 32,100 | Labour | Yes |
| Essex West & East Hertfordshire | 30,012 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Cambridgeshire | 29,878 | Labour | Yes |
| Cotswolds | 29,760 | Labour | Yes |
| Hertfordshire | 29,462 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Essex North & South Suffolk | 27,048 | Labour | Yes |
| Wiltshire North & Bath | 26,912 | Labour | Yes |
| Worcestershire & South Warwickshire | 26,635 | Labour | Yes |
| Thames Valley | 26,491 | Labour | Yes |
| Kent East | 23,108 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Hereford & Shropshire | 22,967 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Lincolnshire & South Humberside | 17,976 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Suffolk & South West Norfolk | 17,905 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Cornwall & West Plymouth | 16,746 | Liberal Democrat | No - lost to Liberal Democrat |
| Kent West | 16,311 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Norfolk | 15,925 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Essex South | 12,753 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Northamptonshire & Blaby | 12,362 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes | 11,127 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| London South East | 10,694 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| London North West | 7,400 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Leicester | 4,057 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
| Lancashire Central | 2,068 | Labour | No - lost to Labour |
Scottish National Party (1 seat)
| Constituency | Majority | Runner-up | Held in 1994? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands & Islands | 44,695 | Conservative | Yes |
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