1984 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

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.