1989 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox election Template:United Kingdom in the European Union 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 voting 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 the 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.

Two by-elections to the British Parliament also took place on the same day in the Vauxhall and Glasgow Central constituencies - Labour held both seats.

Results

United Kingdom

Party		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	% of vote	Loss/Gain	Seats	% of seats	Loss/Gain
Template:Party name with colour	6,153,661	38.7	Template:Increase3.9	45	55.6	Template:Increase13
Template:Party name with colour	5,356,887	33.7	Template:Decrease5.1	32	39.5	Template:Decrease13
Template:Party name with colour	2,299,287	14.5	Template:Increase14.0	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	944,861	5.9	Template:Decrease12.6	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	406,686	2.6	Template:Increase1.0	1	1.2	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	160,110	1.0	Template:Decrease0.6	1	1.2	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	136,335	0.9	Template:Decrease0.2	1	1.2	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	118,785	0.7	Template:Decrease0.4	1	1.2	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	115,062	0.7	Template:Decrease0.1	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	75,886	0.5	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	48,914	0.3	Template:Decrease0.4	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	27,905	0.2	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	12,724	0.1	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	6,996	0.0	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	5,590	0.0	Template:Decrease0.1	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
	Labour Representation Group	3,540	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	4,420	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	4,263	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	4,224	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	2,332	0.0	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
	International Communist	1,567	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	1,471	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	1,349	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	1,274	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	919	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
	Corrective	707	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	323	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange

• Overall (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) turnout: 36% (EU average: 59%)
• Overall votes cast: 15,896,078

Great Britain

Party		Votes won<ref name="EP Elections" />	% of vote	Loss/Gain	Seats	% of seats	Loss/Gain
Template:Party name with colour	6,153,661	40.1	Template:Increase3.6	45	57.7	Template:Increase13
Template:Party name with colour	5,331,098	34.7	Template:Decrease6.1	32	41.0	Template:Decrease13
Template:Party name with colour	2,292,718	14.9	Template:Increase14.4	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	944,861	6.2	Template:Decrease13.3	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	406,686	2.6	Template:Increase0.9	1	1.3	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	115,062	0.7	Template:Decrease0.1	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	75,886	0.5	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	12,724	0.1	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	6,996	0.0	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	4,420	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	4,263	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	4,224	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	2,332	0.0	Template:Nochange	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
	International Communist	1,567	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	1,471	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	1,349	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	919	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
	Corrective	707	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange
Template:Party name with colour	323	0.0	New	0	Template:Nochange	Template:Nochange

Total votes cast: 15,361,267

Northern Ireland

Party		Candidate(s)	Seats	Loss/Gain	First Preference Votes<ref>http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papersRP99-57.pdf Template:Dead link</ref>
					Number	% of vote
Template:Party name with colour	Ian Paisley	1	0	160,110	29.9
Template:Party name with colour	John Hume	1	0	136,335	25.5
Template:Party name with colour	Jim Nicholson	1	0	118,785	22.2
Template:Party name with colour	Danny Morrison	0	0	48,914	9.1
Template:Party name with colour	John Alderdice	0	0	27,905	5.2
Template:Party name with colour	Myrtle Boal	0	0	25,789	4.8
Template:Party name with colour	Malcolm Samuel	0	0	6,569	1.2
Template:Party name with colour	Seamus Lynch	0	0	5,590	1.0
	Labour Representation	Mark Langhammer	0	0	3,540	0.7
	Labour '87	Brian Caul	0	0	1,274	0.2

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

• Elections in the United Kingdom: European elections
• List of members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom (1989–1994)