1989 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

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1989 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

← 1984 15 June 1989 1994 →

81 seats to the European Parliament
Turnout36.4% (Increase3.8%)
  First party Second party
 
Lab
Con
Leader Barry Seal Christopher Prout
Party Labour Conservative
Alliance PES EPP
Leader's seat Yorkshire West Shropshire and Stafford
Last election 32 seats, 34.8% 45 seats, 38.8%
Seats won 45 32
Seat change Increase13 Decrease13
Popular vote 6,153,640 5,331,077
Percentage 38.7% 33.7%
Swing Increase3.9% Decrease5.1%

European Parliament election, 1989 (United Kingdom).svg
Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

1989 UK European Parliament election.svg

The 1989 European Parliament election, was the third European election to be held in the United Kingdom. It was held on 15 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.

This election saw the best performance ever by the Green Party (UK) (formerly the Ecology Party), collecting over 2 million votes and 15% of the vote share. It had only received 70,853 as the Ecology Party in the previous election. However, because of First Past the Post system, the Green Party did not gain a single MEP, while the Scottish National Party received 1 seat with only 3% of the vote share. The Green Party's vote total of 2,299,287 remains its best performance in a national election, as does its percentage result of 14.5%.

The election also saw Labour overtake the Conservatives for the first time in any election since October 1974 and the first time ever in a European election, winning 13 more seats.

Results[]

United Kingdom[]

Party Votes won[1] % of vote Loss/Gain Seats % of seats Loss/Gain
Labour 6,153,661 38.7 Increase3.9 45 55.6 Increase13
Conservative 5,356,887 33.7 Decrease5.1 32 39.5 Decrease13
Green (UK) 2,299,287 14.5 Increase14.0 0 Steady Steady
SLD 944,861 5.9 Decrease12.6 0 Steady Steady
SNP 406,686 2.6 Increase1.0 1 1.2 Steady
DUP 160,110 1.0 Decrease0.6 1 1.2 Steady
SDLP 136,335 0.9 Decrease0.2 1 1.2 Steady
UUP 118,785 0.7 Decrease0.4 1 1.2 Steady
Plaid Cymru 115,062 0.7 Decrease0.1 0 Steady Steady
SDP 75,886 0.5 New 0 Steady Steady
Sinn Féin 48,914 0.3 Decrease0.4 0 Steady Steady
Alliance 27,905 0.2 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Independent 12,724 0.1 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Ind. Conservative 6,996 0.0 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Workers' Party 5,590 0.0 Decrease0.1 0 Steady Steady
Labour Representation Group 3,540 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Communist 4,420 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Monster Raving Loony 4,263 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Mebyon Kernow 4,224 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Wessex Regionalist 2,332 0.0 Steady 0 Steady Steady
International Communist 1,567 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
National Front 1,471 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Humanist 1,349 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Labour Party NI 1,274 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Socialist (GB) 919 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Corrective 707 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Communist League 323 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
  • Overall (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) turnout: 36% (EU average: 59%)
  • Overall votes cast: 15,896,078

Great Britain[]

Party Votes won[1] % of vote Loss/Gain Seats % of seats Loss/Gain
Labour 6,153,661 40.1 Increase3.6 45 57.7 Increase13
Conservative 5,331,098 34.7 Decrease6.1 32 41.0 Decrease13
Green (UK) 2,292,718 14.9 Increase14.4 0 Steady Steady
SLD 944,861 6.2 Decrease13.3 0 Steady Steady
SNP 406,686 2.6 Increase0.9 1 1.3 Steady
Plaid Cymru 115,062 0.7 Decrease0.1 0 Steady Steady
SDP 75,886 0.5 New 0 Steady Steady
Independent 12,724 0.1 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Ind. Conservative 6,996 0.0 Steady 0 Steady Steady
Communist 4,420 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Monster Raving Loony 4,263 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Mebyon Kernow 4,224 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Wessex Regionalist 2,332 0.0 Steady 0 Steady Steady
International Communist 1,567 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
National Front 1,471 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Humanist 1,349 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Socialist (GB) 919 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Corrective 707 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady
Communist League 323 0.0 New 0 Steady Steady

Total votes cast: 15,361,267

Northern Ireland[]

Party Candidate(s) Seats Loss/Gain First Preference Votes[2]
Number % of vote
DUP Ian Paisley 1 0 160,110 29.9
SDLP John Hume 1 0 136,335 25.5
UUP Jim Nicholson 1 0 118,785 22.2
Sinn Féin Danny Morrison 0 0 48,914 9.1
Alliance John Alderdice 0 0 27,905 5.2
NI Conservatives Myrtle Boal 0 0 25,789 4.8
Green (UK) Malcolm Samuel 0 0 6,569 1.0
Workers' Party Seamus Lynch 0 0 5,590 1
Mark Langhammer 0 0 3,540 0
Labour '87 Brian Caul 0 0 1,274 0

Total votes cast – 534,811.

Party Leaders in 1989[]

  • Labour – Neil Kinnock
  • Conservative – Margaret Thatcher
  • Green – N/A (the Green Party did not have a leader)
  • Social and Liberal Democrats – Paddy Ashdown
  • Scottish National Party – Gordon Wilson
  • Plaid Cymru – Dafydd Elis Thomas
  • Democratic Unionist Party – Ian Paisley
  • Social Democratic and Labour Party – John Hume
  • Ulster Unionist Party – James Molyneaux

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "European Parliament elections: 1979 to 1994". House of Commons Library.
  2. ^ http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papersRP99-57.pdf[dead link]
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