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 SDPâÂÂLiberal 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 either the greatest number of seats or the highest vote share.
A by-election to the British Parliament also took place on the same day in the Portsmouth South constituency â the Alliance gained the seat from the Conservatives.
Source: UK Parliament briefing
Source: UK Parliament briefing
Total votes cast â 13,312,898. All parties listed.
Source: Northern Ireland Social and Political Archive
Source: http://aei.pitt.edu/5178/1/5178.pdf