1979 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom
The European Assembly Election, 1979, was the first European election to be held in the United Kingdom after the European Communities decided to directly elect representatives to the European Parliament. It was held on 7 June. Elections were also held in eight other EC states. European elections were incorporated into UK law by the European Assembly Elections Act 1978. Out of the 410 members of the European Parliament, 81 were elected from the UK. The electoral system was First Past the Post in England, Scotland and Wales and Single Transferable Vote in Northern Ireland.
The result was a landslide victory for the Conservative Party, which won 60 of the 78 seats available in England, Wales and Scotland. Their decisive victory in the general election of the previous month and divisions within the Labour party on whether to stay in the EC probably helped the Conservatives to such a comprehensive victory. There was a very low turnout in the election compared with other states, the lowest in Europe. Voter apathy was an explanation, but it is likely the large number of elections in 1979 had a significant negative effect on turnout. There were referendums in Scotland and Wales on devolution in March and the general election in May, as well as local elections in England and Wales.
Result (UK-wide)
''Source:- Overall turnout: 32.4%
- Overall votes cast: 13,460,091
Results Breakdown
England, Scotland and Wales
''Source:Total votes cast – 12,873,852.
Northern Ireland
Source Northern Ireland Social and Political ArchiveTotal votes cast – 572,239.
Constituency results
| Constituency | Con | % | Lab | % | Lib | % | PC | % | SNP | % | Others | |
| Bedfordshire | 102,054 | 58.8 | 48,454 | 27.9 | 21,943 | 12.6 | 1,198 | 0.7 | ||||
| Birmingham North | 68,507 | 47.8 | 60,163 | 42.0 | 14,583 | 10.2 | ||||||
| Birmingham South | 66,012 | 47.5 | 60,775 | 43.7 | 12,160 | 8.8 | ||||||
| Bristol | 100,160 | 54.2 | 59,443 | 32.1 | 25,308 | 13.7 | ||||||
| Cambridgeshire | 94,497 | 59.0 | 42,038 | 26.3 | 23,501 | 14.7 | ||||||
| Cheshire East | 89,640 | 56.0 | 50,324 | 31.5 | 19,952 | 12.5 | ||||||
| Cheshire West | 93,589 | 56.8 | 47,276 | 28.7 | 23,816 | 14.5 | ||||||
| Cleveland | 76,514 | 50.6 | 51,688 | 34.1 | 18,125 | 12.0 | 4,960 | 3.3 | ||||
| Cornwall and Plymouth | 94,650 | 55.1 | 36,681 | 21.4 | 23,105 | 13.5 | 17,164 | 10.0 | ||||
| Cotswolds | 109,139 | 58.6 | 37,713 | 20.3 | 27,916 | 15.0 | 11,422 | 6.1 | ||||
| Cumbria | 104,471 | 56.4 | 62,485 | 33.7 | 16,631 | 9.0 | 1,596 | 0.9 | ||||
| Derbyshire | 81,046 | 50.9 | 62,347 | 39.2 | 15,775 | 9.9 | ||||||
| Devon | 127,032 | 61.8 | 37,380 | 18.2 | 41,010 | 20.0 | ||||||
| Durham | 53,043 | 35.1 | 81,982 | 54.2 | 16,094 | 10.7 | ||||||
| Essex North East | 99,137 | 60.7 | 33,496 | 20.5 | 26,298 | 16.1 | 4,497 | 2.7 | ||||
| Essex South West | 78,059 | 53.9 | 46,244 | 31.9 | 20,516 | 14.2 | ||||||
| Glasgow | 41,144 | 27.3 | 73,846 | 49.0 | 11,073 | 7.3 | 24,776 | 16.4 | ||||
| Greater Manchester North | 62,456 | 39.2 | 79,920 | 50.2 | 16,910 | 10.6 | ||||||
| Greater Manchester South | 70,688 | 47.5 | 63,214 | 42.5 | 14,869 | 10.0 | ||||||
| Greater Manchester West | 67,127 | 43.3 | 66,825 | 43.1 | 21,021 | 13.6 | ||||||
| Hampshire West | 114,978 | 58.9 | 34,472 | 17.7 | 45,786 | 23.4 | ||||||
| Hereford and Worcester | 106,271 | 58.5 | 49,888 | 27.5 | 25,421 | 14.0 | ||||||
| Hertfordshire | 97,174 | 50.2 | 49,619 | 25.6 | 46,757 | 24.2 | ||||||
| Highlands and Islands | 30,776 | 26.1 | 10,846 | 9.2 | 36,109 | 30.7 | 39,991 | 34.0 | ||||
| Humberside | 79,531 | 51.7 | 56,521 | 36.8 | 17,643 | 11.5 | ||||||
| Kent East | 117,267 | 64.7 | 40,060 | 22.1 | 20,190 | 11.1 | 3,788 | 2.1 | ||||
| Kent West | 113,961 | 60.7 | 46,482 | 24.8 | 27,127 | 13.5 | ||||||
| Lancashire Central | 91,355 | 54.1 | 63,709 | 37.7 | 13,821 | 8.2 | ||||||
| Lancashire East | 77,087 | 49.9 | 62,729 | 40.6 | 12,268 | 7.9 | 2,473 | 1.6 | ||||
| Lancashire West | 79,888 | 51.3 | 60,399 | 38.7 | 12,116 | 7.8 | 3,486 | 2.2 | ||||
| Leeds | 54,405 | 39.8 | 62,475 | 45.6 | 20,005 | 14.6 | ||||||
| Leicester | 91,675 | 55.1 | 57,811 | 34.7 | 17,027 | 10.2 | ||||||
| Lincolnshire | 104,460 | 61.5 | 44,616 | 26.3 | 20,815 | 12.2 | ||||||
| Liverpool | 49,646 | 45.2 | 42,419 | 38.7 | 17,650 | 16.1 | ||||||
| London Central | 84,915 | 54.4 | 45,721 | 29.3 | 19,010 | 12.2 | 6,448 | 4.1 | ||||
| London East | 77,955 | 48.8 | 64,925 | 40.7 | 16,783 | 10.5 | ||||||
| London North | 74,042 | 49.7 | 59,077 | 39.7 | 15,838 | 10.6 | ||||||
| London North East | 36,200 | 34.2 | 61,004 | 57.5 | 8,839 | 8.3 | ||||||
| London North West | 87,596 | 55.3 | 49,268 | 31.1 | 21,618 | 13.6 | ||||||
| London South | 98,298 | 58.9 | 44,967 | 27.0 | 23,526 | 14.1 | ||||||
| London South East | 94,180 | 55.0 | 54,798 | 32.0 | 21,494 | 12.5 | 890 | 0.5 | ||||
| London South Inner | 60,652 | 43.6 | 67,830 | 48.8 | 10,509 | 7.6 | ||||||
| London South West | 83,498 | 52.0 | 51,742 | 32.2 | 21,251 | 13.2 | 3,810 | 2.6 | ||||
| London West | 89,433 | 51.0 | 67,193 | 38.3 | 17,077 | 9.8 | 1,635 | 0.9 | ||||
| Lothians | 66,761 | 35.6 | 61,180 | 32.6 | 29,518 | 15.8 | 29,935 | 16.0 | ||||
| Mid and West Wales | 67,226 | 36.0 | 77,474 | 41.4 | 17,628 | 9.4 | 22,730 | 12.2 | 1,826 | 1.0 | ||
| Mid Scotland and Fife | 66,255 | 35.1 | 58,768 | 31.2 | 18,112 | 9.6 | 45,426 | 24.1 | ||||
| Midlands Central | 94,606 | 57.9 | 46,557 | 28.5 | 15,859 | 9.7 | 6,380 | 3.9 | ||||
| Midlands East | 85,098 | 55.3 | 53,935 | 35.1 | 14,819 | 9.6 | ||||||
| Midlands West | 69,916 | 47.3 | 68,024 | 46.0 | 9,936 | 6.7 | ||||||
| Norfolk | 102,981 | 59.8 | 52,406 | 30.4 | 16,805 | 9.8 | ||||||
| North East Scotland | 51,930 | 33.0 | 38,139 | 24.2 | 38,516 | 24.5 | 28,886 | 18.3 | ||||
| North Wales | 74,173 | 41.9 | 46,627 | 26.4 | 21,989 | 12.4 | 34,171 | 19.3 | ||||
| Northamptonshire | 103,638 | 59.6 | 47,029 | 27.1 | 23,134 | 13.3 | ||||||
| Northumbria | 67,066 | 39.9 | 75,172 | 44.8 | 25,713 | 15.3 | ||||||
| Nottingham | 64,728 | 44.8 | 66,279 | 45.9 | 13,515 | 9.3 | ||||||
| Salop and Stafford | 90,545 | 57.5 | 45,547 | 28.9 | 16,469 | 10.5 | 4,804 | 3.1 | ||||
| Sheffield | 64,157 | 42.1 | 77,219 | 50.7 | 10,951 | 7.2 | ||||||
| Somerset | 120,057 | 57.0 | 41,931 | 19.9 | 48,600 | 23.1 | ||||||
| South East Wales | 51,478 | 30.3 | 93,093 | 54.8 | 10,534 | 6.2 | 12,469 | 7.4 | 2,182 | 1.3 | ||
| South of Scotland | 66,816 | 43.0 | 43,145 | 27.7 | 16,825 | 10.8 | 28,694 | 18.5 | ||||
| South Wales | 66,852 | 37.9 | 77,784 | 44.1 | 17,811 | 10.1 | 14,029 | 7.9 | ||||
| Staffordshire East | 70,836 | 48.7 | 64,230 | 44.1 | 10,409 | 7.2 | ||||||
| Strathclyde East | 41,482 | 28.6 | 72,263 | 49.8 | 10,325 | 7.1 | 21,013 | 14.5 | ||||
| Strathclyde West | 65,608 | 37.2 | 63,781 | 36.1 | 17,955 | 10.2 | 29,115 | 16.5 | ||||
| Suffolk | 101,966 | 60.4 | 45,642 | 27.1 | 21,131 | 12.5 | ||||||
| Surrey | 113,786 | 54.4 | 28,897 | 13.8 | 62,272 | 29.7 | 4,450 | 2.1 | ||||
| Sussex East | 123,506 | 65.7 | 33,581 | 17.9 | 30,847 | 16.4 | ||||||
| Sussex West | 131,077 | 65.9 | 26,894 | 13.5 | 35,593 | 17.9 | 5,303 | 2.7 | ||||
| Thames Valley | 110,788 | 63.1 | 39,865 | 22.7 | 24,877 | 14.2 | ||||||
| Tyne South and Wear | 67,475 | 44.9 | 73,936 | 49.2 | 8,958 | 5.9 | ||||||
| Upper Thames | 103,488 | 59.4 | 39,900 | 22.9 | 30,907 | 17.7 | ||||||
| Wessex | 130,744 | 63.3 | 42,910 | 20.8 | 31,220 | 15.1 | 1,706 | 0.8 | ||||
| Wight and Hampshire East | 128,414 | 64.7 | 34,901 | 17.6 | 35,248 | 17.7 | ||||||
| Wiltshire | 86,873 | 47.5 | 35,457 | 19.4 | 60,404 | 33.1 | ||||||
| Yorkshire North | 98,464 | 59.1 | 41,408 | 24.8 | 26,812 | 16.1 | ||||||
| Yorkshire South | 46,656 | 32.6 | 83,490 | 58.3 | 13,025 | 9.1 | ||||||
| Yorkshire South West | 52,157 | 35.8 | 75,473 | 51.9 | 17,850 | 12.3 | ||||||
| Yorkshire West | 73,555 | 44.4 | 76,552 | 46.3 | 15,460 | 9.3 |
Party Leaders in June 1979
- Conservative – Margaret Thatcher
- Labour – James Callaghan
- Liberal – David Steel
- SNP – Gordon Wilson
- DUP – Ian Paisley
- SDLP – John Hume
- UUP – Harry West