The
European Parliament election, 2004 was the UK part of the
European Parliament election, 2004Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
. It was held on 10 June. It was the first European election to be held in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
using postal-only voting in four areas. It coincided with local and London elections.
The
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
and the
Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
both polled poorly. The Conservatives, although getting a vote share 4.1% greater than Labour, still experienced their lowest vote share in a national election since 1832.
The
European Parliament election, 2004 was the UK part of the
European Parliament election, 2004Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
. It was held on 10 June. It was the first European election to be held in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
using postal-only voting in four areas. It coincided with local and London elections.
The
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
and the
Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
both polled poorly. The Conservatives, although getting a vote share 4.1% greater than Labour, still experienced their lowest vote share in a national election since 1832. Labour's vote share was its lowest since 1918. Labour's decline in votes was regarded as being largely due to widespread public dissatisfaction about the Iraq War and, as with the Conservatives, the increased popularity of the
United Kingdom Independence PartyThe United Kingdom Independence Party is a conservative, Eurosceptic political party. Its principal aim is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. UKIP currently holds thirteen seats in the European Parliament and two in the House of Lords...
.
The
United Kingdom Independence PartyThe United Kingdom Independence Party is a conservative, Eurosceptic political party. Its principal aim is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. UKIP currently holds thirteen seats in the European Parliament and two in the House of Lords...
did exceptionally well, and managed to increase its number of
MEPA Member of the European Parliament is the English name for a person who has been elected to the European Parliament, one of the European Union's two legislative bodies. MEPs are the European Union's equivalents of a country's national legislators in either the lower house or unicameral...
s from 3 to 12, pushing the Liberal Democrats, who increased their representation from 10 to 12 seats, into fourth place in the overall vote. UKIP received a very large increase in media coverage before the elections, partly because of the appointment of
Robert Kilroy-SilkRobert Michael Kilroy-Silk is an English politician, independent Member of the European Parliament and a television presenter, best known for his daytime talk show Kilroy...
as a candidate. The actress
Joan CollinsJoan Henrietta Collins OBE is an English actress, author, and columnist.-Early life:Collins was born in Paddington, London, the daughter of Elsa , a dance teacher and nightclub hostess, and Joseph William Collins, an agent whose clients would later include Shirley Bassey, The Beatles and Tom Jones...
also became a member and announced her support for the party.
Other minor parties also posted vote gains.
In
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, as expected,
Sinn FéinSinn Féin is a political party in Ireland. The current party, led by Gerry Adams, was formed following a split in January 1970 and traces its origins back to the original Sinn Féin party formed in 1905. It is a major party of Irish republicanism and its political ideology is left wing...
beat the
SDLPThe Social Democratic and Labour Party is one of the two major nationalist parties in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles, the SDLP was consistently the most popular nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but since the Provisional IRA cease-fire in 1994, it has lost ground to its rival Sinn...
in the polls and took its first Northern Ireland seat. This coincided with its winning a seat in the
corresponding electionsThe 2004 European Parliament election in Ireland was the Irish component of the 2004 European Parliament election. The voting was held on Friday, 11 June 2004. The election coincided with the 2004 local elections...
in the
RepublicIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
.
GibraltarGibraltar is a self-governing British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and Europe at the entrance of the Mediterranean overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory covers and shares a land border with Spain to the north...
voted for the first time, as part of the
South West EnglandSouth West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, covering including Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It has a population of almost five million, and includes the area often known as...
region. The
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
won overwhelming support there on a higher than average turnout. For full results, see
European Parliament Election, 2004 (Gibraltar)Gibraltar's first participation in the elections to the European Parliament were held on 10 June 2004 as part of Europe-wide elections. Although part of the European Union, Gibraltar had never before voted in European Parliamentary elections, in part due to its small electorate of just over 20,000...
.
England, Scotland and Wales
- Turnout for all the regions was 37.6% on an electorate of 45,309,760.
Source: BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
| Party | Votes | % | Change | Seats | Change | Seats % |
|---|
|
>
4,397,090 |
26.7 |
-9.0 |
27 |
| 36.0 |
|
>
3,718,683 |
22.6 |
-5.4 |
19 |
-6 |
25.3 |
|
>
2,650,768 |
16.1 |
+9.2 |
12 |
+10 |
16.0 |
|
>
2,452,327 |
14.9 |
+2.3 |
12 |
+2 |
16.0 |
|
>
1,033,093 |
6.3 |
0.0 |
2 |
0 |
2.7 |
|
>
808,200 |
4.9 |
+3.9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
>
252,252 |
1.5 |
+1.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
>
231,505 |
1.4 |
-1.3 |
2 |
0 |
2.7 |
|
>
159,888 |
1.0 |
-0.9 |
1 |
0 |
1.3 |
|
>
130,056 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
96,325 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
79,695 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
61,356 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
56,771 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Senior Citizens The Senior Citizens Party is a political party in the United Kingdom, which focuses on the rights of people over-50.The party was founded in January 2004 by Grahame Leon-Smith, now the party leader, and Terry Pattinson...
|
42,861 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
42,107 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pensioners The Pensioners Party is a political party operating in England and registered with the Electoral Commission. As of May 2006, it is accepting nominations from suitable individuals to stand as candidates in future elections....
|
33,501 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
21,056 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
20,393 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
17,280 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
13,776 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
>
12,572 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
17,028,947 |
100 |
|
75 |
-2 |
100 |
- All parties with over 10,000 votes listed.
Northern Ireland
| European Parliament election 2004: Northern Ireland |
| Party |
Candidate(s) |
Seats |
Loss/Gain |
First Preference Votes |
| Number |
% of vote |
|
>
Jim Allister James Hugh Allister, QC, known as Jim, is a Northern Ireland unionist British politician and senior barrister. He is a former member of the Democratic Unionist Party and was elected as a member of the European Parliament in 2004 and serving there until 2009...
|
1 |
0 |
175,761 |
31.9 |
|
>
Bairbre de Brún Bairbre de Brún, is an Irish politician and member of the European Parliament, representing Northern Ireland.- Political work :Born in Dublin on 10 January 1954, de Brún became interested in the political landscape of Ireland and, in particular, the situation at the time in Northern Ireland...
|
1 |
1
144,541 |
26.3 |
|
>
Jim Nicholson James Frederick "Jim" Nicholson is a Northern Ireland unionist politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament.-Career:...
|
1 |
0 |
91,164 |
16.6 |
|
>
Martin Morgan Martin Morgan is a former Northern Ireland politician for the Social Democratic and Labour Party .Married to Dympna, a double graduate from the Queen's University of Belfast and a qualified Master's Level Social Worker, Morgan was a political activist from his teenage years onwards.A former...
|
0 |
| 87,559 |
15.9 |
|
>
John Gilliland |
0 |
0 |
36,270 |
6.6 |
|
>
Eamon McCann |
0 |
0 |
9,172 |
1.6 |
|
>
Lindsay Whitcroft |
0 |
0 |
4,810 |
0.9 |
| Total |
549,277 |
|
| Turnout |
|
51.7 |
By constituency
See:
- Scotland
Scotland constitutes a single constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- Wales
Wales is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 4 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects three MEPs using the Single Transferable Vote, the only United Kingdom constituency to do so.- Members of the European Parliament :- 2009 :...
- North East England
North East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 3 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- North West England
North West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For the 2009 elections it elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- West Midlands
West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it will elect 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. The constituency will also elect a "virtual MEP" who will be able to sit in the Parliament if the Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect...
- East Midlands
East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 5 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- South West England
South West England is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, reduced from 7 in 2004.- Boundaries :...
- South East England
South East England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 10 Members of the European Parliament using the D'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
- London
London is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation, having previously elected 9 - Boundaries :...
- East of England
East of England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 7 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
Party Leaders in June 2004
- Conservative - Michael Howard
Michael Howard QC, MP is a British politician. He served as the leader of the Conservative Party from November 2003 to December 2005...
- Labour - Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
- UK Independence Party - Roger Knapman
Roger Maurice Knapman is a British politician and the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party ....
- Liberal Democrat - Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy MP is a British politician.From 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006, he was the leader of the Liberal Democrats, the third largest political party in the United Kingdom....
- Green Party Principal Speakers - Caroline Lucas
Caroline Patricia Lucas is an English politician. The leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, she is a Member of the European Parliament for the South East England region. She is one of two Green MEPs from the UK , a post she has held since 1999...
and Mike WoodinMichael Edward Woodin was the Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales and a city councillor for Oxford from 1994 to 2004...
- Scottish National Party - John Swinney
John Ramsey Swinney is a Scottish National Party politician, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and Member of the Scottish Parliament for North Tayside...
- Democratic Unionist Party - Ian Paisley
Rev Dr Ian Richard Kyle Paisley is a veteran politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , the largest single grouping in the 2007 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, he was elected First Minister with Sinn Féin's Martin...
- Plaid Cymru - Dafydd Iwan
Dafydd Iwan , is a Welsh folk singer and politician. He is the president of Plaid Cymru, The Party of Wales.Dafydd Iwan Jones was born in Brynaman in Carmarthenshire, Wales, he spent most of his youth in Bala in Merioneth before attending the University of Wales, Cardiff...
and Ieuan Wyn JonesIeuan Wyn Jones, AM is leader of Plaid Cymru, Deputy First Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government and Member of the National Assembly for Wales for the Ynys Môn constituency. He was Member of the UK parliament for Ynys Môn constituency from 1987-2001...
- Sinn Féin - Gerry Adams
Gerard "Gerry" Adams, MLA, MP is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West...
- British National Party - Nick Griffin
Nicholas John Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England. He is married with four children, and lives in Wales....
- Ulster Unionist Party - David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party.He shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume of...
- Social Democratic and Labour Party - Mark Durkan
Mark Henry Durkan is an Irish nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party .-Early life:...
See also
- Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom 2004-2009
This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name.See European Parliament Election, 2004 for a list ordered by constituency.
-Current members:...
(alphabetic order, can be sorted by constituency, party or party group)
Other guides
Manifestos and documents
Northern Ireland only:
Scotland only:
- Scottish National Party manifesto (EFA
The European Free Alliance is a European political party. It consists of various European political parties which advocate either full political independence , or some form of devolution or self-government for their country or region. The alliance has generally limited its membership to...
)
Wales only:
- Plaid Cymru / The Party of Wales Manifesto (EFA
The European Free Alliance is a European political party. It consists of various European political parties which advocate either full political independence , or some form of devolution or self-government for their country or region. The alliance has generally limited its membership to...
)