YOUR GUIDE TO EU ELECTIONS - Vuelio
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YOUR GUIDE TO
EU ELECTIONS
1
How do the European elections work?
Owing to the failure of the UK and the EU to reach a Brexit deal, the UK has been granted an extension to
the Article 50 process for leaving the EU until 31 October 2019. This means, as David Lidington confirmed
on 7 May, that because no agreement has yet been reached, European elections will be held on 23 May
2019. Vuelio’s Guide explains how these will work.
Where will MEPs be elected?
The UK is divided into twelve European parliamentary constituencies, each of which elects a certain
number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). These are as follows:
yy East Midlands – 5 MEPs
yy East of England – 7 MEPs
yy London – 8 MEPs
yy North East – 3 MEPs
yy North West – 8 MEPs
yy Northern Ireland – 3 MEPs
yy Scotland – 6 MEPs
yy South East – 10 MEPs
yy South West – 6 MEPs (this region includes Gibraltar)
yy Wales – 4 MEPs
yy West Midlands – 7 MEPs
yy Yorkshire & the Humber – 6 MEPs
How are MEPs elected?
All UK citizens, as well as Commonwealth citizens living in the UK, are entitled to vote. EU citizens living in
the UK can choose between voting here or in the country they are a citizen of.
All but one constituency is elected using the ‘D’Hondt’ method, a type of proportional representation. Each
party puts forward a list of candidates ranked with their preferred candidate at the top and the remaining
candidates in descending order. Therefore, electors can only vote for the party and not for individual
candidates. The first seat to be allocated in the region goes to the top candidate of the party with the
most votes. Then, the first party’s vote share is halved, and the party which now has the most votes gets
the second seat. This process continues, with the share of the top party in each round being divided by
one plus the number of MEPs they’ve had elected in the constituency so far in the process, until all the
seats are allocated. It is therefore very unlikely that the candidates at the bottom of any party’s list will be
elected; however, they may become MEPs should the candidates elected later resign and a replacement
be needed.
Northern Ireland uses a different electoral system – the Single Transferrable Vote (STV). Under this
system, voters rank the candidates in order of preference. A quota of votes is then calculated, based
on the number of seats (three) and the number of votes cast. Candidates over that threshold are
elected immediately, with their surplus votes transferred to other candidates (based on the rankings).
Further candidates are then deemed to be elected if they now meet the quota. If not, the lowest-ranked
candidates are eliminated and their votes reallocated, with this process continuing until all three seats
have been filled.
2
How many MEPs were elected for each party in 2014?
Constituency UKIP Labour Conservative Green SNP Lib Plaid
Dems Cymru
East Midlands 2 1 2
East of 3 1 3
England
London 1 4 2 1
North East 1 2
North West 3 3 2
Scotland 1 2 1 2
South East 4 1 3 1 1
South West 2 1 2 1
Wales 1 1 1 1
West 3 2 2
Midlands
Yorkshire & 3 2 1
the Humber
Total 24 20 19 3 2 1 1
Sinn Féin DUP UUP
Northern 1 1 1
Ireland
How many MEPs does each party have now?
Since 2014, there have been a number of changes in MEP numbers, primarily affecting UKIP and the
Conservatives. The current totals are as follows:
Party Number of MEPs
Conservative 18
Labour 18*
The Brexit Party 14
Independent 6
UKIP 3
Green Party 3
Change UK 1
Scottish National Party 2
Democratic Unionist Party 1
Liberal Democrats 1
Plaid Cymru 1
Sinn Féin 1
Social Democratic Party 1
Ulster Unionist Party 1
* One Labour MEP stepped down in January 2019 and another
stepped down in April 2019; neither has been replaced.
3
What are the European Parliament groupings?
National parties form part of pan-European groupings in the European Parliament. UK parties belong
to the following European groupings, listed with their total number of MEPs from across the bloc.
Conservative & UKIP MEPs are split across different groupings, with the Conservatives officially a member
of the Conservatives & Reformists and UKIP officially a member of the Europe of Nations & Freedom
group.
Group Number of MEPs UK Members
European People’s Party 217 1 Change UK and 1 independent MEP*
Progressive Alliance of Socialists 186 Labour Party (& Social Democratic &
& Democrats Labour Party)
Conservatives & Reformists 76 Conservative Party & Ulster Unionist
Party
Alliance of Liberals & Democrats 68 Liberal Democrats (& Alliance Party of
for Europe Northern Ireland)
European United Left – Nordic 52 Sinn Féin
Green Left
Greens/European Free Alliance 52 Green Party, Plaid Cymru & Scottish
National Party
Europe of Freedom & Direct 41 The Brexit Party, Social Democratic Party
Democracy & 3 independent MEPs
Europe of Nations & Freedom 37 2 UKIP & 1 independent MEPs
Non-attached 21 Democratic Unionist Party, 1 UKIP & 1
independent MEPs
*Change UK have not said which European Parliament group they would sit in if elected.
4
How does Brexit affect this?
Could the elections be cancelled?
Despite the fact that the Conservative Party has been sending out leaflets calling on voters to lobby their
MPs to back the Brexit deal, annoying Brexiteers in the process, it’s almost certainly too late to cancel the
elections. The decision to offer the UK an extension to the Brexit process says that if the UK fails to hold
elections, the extension will come to an end on 31 May 2019. Any deal would need to be ratified by the
UK Parliament, the European Parliament and the European Council. The European Parliament sat for the
last time before the elections on 18 April, and so effectively there is no way that the UK could complete
all the steps required to leave the EU with a deal and avoid having to hold the elections. Indeed, Cabinet
Office Minister David Lidington admitted this on 7 May, saying it was ‘not going to be possible to finish that
process’ in time. Under the terms of the decision, the UK will leave the EU on the first day of the month
following ratification; otherwise the UK will leave on 31 October (barring a further extension).
What about the new parties?
Two high-profile new parties are likely to be contesting these elections, one pro-Brexit and one pro-
second referendum.
On 12 April, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage launched The Brexit Party. The party, which has been
registered with the Electoral Commission since 5 February, was led by Catherine Blaiklock, UKIP’s former
economics spokesman, until 20 March when she resigned following the discovery of Islamophobic tweets
she had made. Launching the party, Farage said: ‘What we have seen over the course of the last four
weeks is the betrayal, the wilful betrayal of the greatest democratic exercise of this nation’ and that the
party was ‘not here just to fight the European elections’ but aimed to ‘change politics for good’, achieving
a ‘democratic revolution’. He unveiled five candidates, including former Conservative parliamentary
candidate Annunziata Rees-Mogg, the sister of Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. The party currently has 14 MEPs
including Farage, all of whom defected from UKIP.
Change UK will contest the elections and is the party formed by The Independent Group of MPs who
defected from Labour and the Conservatives in February 2019. However, it only announced its intention
to register as a political party on 29 March, and the Electoral Commission advises that the process
of registering usually takes around six weeks. Nevertheless, its registration was accepted on 15 April,
although the proposed emblem was rejected. Interim party leader Heidi Allen has said the party is not
making policy on EU matters ‘at this stage’ and will be agreeing ‘no deals and no pacts’ with other parties.
It is unclear which European Parliament grouping Change UK would want to belong to, should it have any
MEPs elected. According to The Times, more than 3,000 people have applied to stand for the party, with
the MPs choosing the final candidates from a shortlist of 100. Renew, a small pro-EU political party, has
also announced its decision to ‘wind up operations’ and support the party at the elections.
5
European Elections timeline
12 April (South West)/
15 April (elsewhere) Last date to publish notice of election
Deadline for submitting nominations 24 April
24 April (South West)/ Deadline for publishing statement of
25 April (elsewhere) persons nominated
Purdah restrictions for central
2 May
government begin
7 May Last date to register to vote
Last date to register for a postal vote 8 May
15 May Last day to register to vote by proxy
Polling day 7am to 10pm on 23 May
After 10pm on 26 May Election results announced
Deadline for submission of political parties’
campaign expenditure 23 August / 23 November 2019
(dependent on amount spent)
As indicated above, some dates are different in the South West region owning to Bank Holidays in
Gibraltar.
Why are the results declared so long after polls close?
Results will be declared after 10pm on Sunday 26 May. The reason for the long gap between polls
closing and results being announced is because different countries vote on different days over the four
day period from 23 to 26 May (with the vast majority voting on the final day), and the results cannot be
announced until voting has concluded in all countries.
6
What is purdah?
‘Purdah’ refers to the period of time in the run-up to an election in which announcements by the
Government are restricted. This helps to prevent the incumbents from gaining an unfair advantage over
their opposition, e.g. by announcing the roll-out of a popular new policy, or benefiting from the increased
media coverage afforded to an official announcement.
Each year, the Cabinet Office publishes guidance to civil servants in central government and on arms-
length bodies about their conduct ahead of elections. The guidance is reasonably consistent from one
election to the next. The ‘general convention’ is that purdah restrictions come into play three weeks prior
to an election. In the case of the European elections, this will be 2 May. However, this was the date of the
local elections, and purdah restrictions prior to these were been in place since 11 April.
Civil servants are advised to take care to make sure that public resources aren’t used for party political
purposes and not to do anything to call their impartiality into question. Particular areas they should be
careful about are Government announcements, consultations, visits and campaigns that could affect the
elections, as well as treating information requests from different candidates equally. They should also
ensure that Government property and official support are not used for election purposes.
MAY 2019 ELECTIONS FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT:
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GUIDANCE
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1. It remains the Government’s objective to leave the European Union in an orderly manner
the same way as other activity. campaigners as soon as possible.
before the need to hold elections for the European Parliament in the United Kingdom. The
Government is however undertaking the lawful and responsible preparations for the
6. In all cases essential business,9.which
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departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and other arm’s-length bodies (ALBs) on their role and
conduct during the forthcoming election campaign. It is for individual public bodies to apply
General principles 10. Any enquiries from the media should be handled by Departmental Press Officers.
this pre-election guidance within their own organisations, but in doing so they should not go
7. The following general principles should be observed by all civil servants, including Special
beyond the principles set out in this guidance. Separate conduct guidance has been circulated
Advisers: Ministerial visits
to Scottish Government and Welsh Government civil servants.
11. In this period, particular care should be taken in respect of proposed visits. Official support
● Particular care should be taken must over not be given
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in the three weeks preceding the elections – in this case from 2 May 2019. Should the UK
after the elections, but this would need to be balanced carefully against any implication
leave the EU before the 23 May, this guidance will cease to apply.
Announcements
that deferral could itself influence the political outcome and the need to continue essential
business. Each case should be12. Similarly,onnational
considered announcements by the UK Government may have a particular impact on
its merits.
4. These elections are different from a UK general election. The UK Government will remain in
European
● Care should also be taken in relation issues,visits.
to proposed for example, the publication of policy statements which have a specific
office whatever the outcome of the elections. Ministers will continue to carry out their
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5. However, it needs to be borne in mind that the activities of the UK Government could have a
political parties and campaigningcase should be considered on its merits. Again, in cases of doubt, further advice should be
groups.
bearing on the election campaigns. Particular care will need to be taken during this period to
● Officials should not be asked tosought.
provide new arguments for use in election campaign
ensure that civil servants conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Civil
debates.
Service Code. Care also needs to be taken in relation to the announcement of UK
Public consultations
Government decisions which could have a bearing on the elections. In particular, civil
13. Public consultations with a particular emphasis on European issues should generally not be
servants are under an obligation:
launched during the period between 2 May and 23 May. If there are exceptional
circumstances where launching a consultation is considered essential (for example, in order
1 2 3
7
What happens after the elections?
After MEPs have been elected from all 28 European countries, a series of processes will begin that reflect
the ability of the European Parliament to appoint its own officials and those of the European Commission,
which is the executive body of the EU. The responsibilities of the European Commission include drawing-
up regulations, developing policy and conducting trade negotiations. This may well include the formation
of new political groups in the European Parliament.
For example, since the last European election, Emmanuel Macron has come to power as President of
France, forming his own party La République En Marche (LREM). While LREM has worked closely with
the Alliance of Liberals & Democrats for Europe (ALDE) group, it has indicated its intention to try to form
a grouping of its own in the new Parliament. LREM’s Chief Executive Stanislas Guérini has told Politico
that the party is ‘in talks with political groups that are members of ALDE and we also must talk to groups
beyond, talk to European citizens first and see what kind of dynamic it creates’. He claimed that LREM
would retain ALDE’s ‘nucleus’ and that ‘the political groups that are part of it today will participate in the
future group we are setting up’ which would be ‘much stronger’.
Another new grouping, this time of the nationalist right, was announced on 8 April, the European Alliance
for People and Nations. This is being formed by Italy’s League party, Germany’s AfD, the Finns Party and
the Danish People’s Party. However, for the group to meet the EU’s rules, after the elections it will need to
have at least 25 MEPs from at least seven different member states.
When will the European Parliament first sit?
The new European Parliament will hold its inaugural session on 2 July, at which the new president and
vicr-presidents of the European Parliament will be elected for a two-and-a-half-year term. The role of the
president (currently Italy’s Antonio Tajani) is to oversee the work of the Parliament and chair its plenary
session. At the start of European Council meetings the president outlines the Parliament’s views of the
items to be discussed, and represents the Parliament internationally. After the European Parliament votes
on the EU’s budget, the president signs it, allowing it to function.
The president needs to get over 50% of the vote in a secret ballot and must be proposed either by a
political grouping for at least 40 individual MEPs. If no candidate passes the threshold at the first vote, it
can be repeated up to two times more. Should no-one be elected in the third round, there is a run-off
between the two candidates with the most votes (in the event of a tie at this stage, the oldest contender
wins). The 14 vice-presidents (and five quaestors, responsible for MEPs’ administrative and financial
needs) have the same nomination rules, and are also elected using a secret ballot.
The European Parliament’s political groups will also need to elect their own chairs, following their own
processes. These chairs, with the European Parliament president, form the Conference of Presidents,
which is responsible for the Parliament’s business, including the membership of committees. The
committees elect their own chairs and vice-chairs, again for a two-and-a-half-year term. Each political
group also elects a co-ordinator for each committee, and these act as that group’s political leader for the
committee in question.
8
What is the ‘Spitzenkandidat’ process?
Since the 2014 elections, a new process for picking the president of the European Commission has been
followed. Each of the main political groupings nominates a so-called ‘Spitzenkandidat’ (or lead candidate)
for the role. However, this year, this process has been followed less strictly, as the list below indicates:
Groups Candidate Nationality
European People’s Party Manfred Weber German
Conservatives & Reformists Frans Timmermans Dutch
Progressive Alliance of Socialists Jan Zahradil Czech
& Democrats
Alliance of Liberals & Democrats Guy Verhofstadt Belgian
for Europe Sylvie Goulard French
Margrethe Vestager Danish
Cecilia Malmström Swedish
Hans van Baalen Dutch
Emma Bonino Italian
Violeta Bulc Slovenian
European Greens (part of the Ska Keller German
Greens/European Free Alliance Bas Eickhout Dutch
group)
European Free Alliance (part Oriol Junqueras Spanish
of the Greens/European Free
Alliance group)
European Left (part of the Violeta Tomic Slovenian
EUropean United Left – Nordic Nico Cue Belgian
Green Left Group)
As can be seen, the European Greens and the European Left have both selected two lead candidates,
while ALDE have picked no less than seven. Meanwhile, the European Free Alliance has nominated Oriol
Junqueras, a Catalan separatist currently imprisoned by Spain for his role in the Catalan independence
referendum.
The way the process functions has evolved from the requirements laid out in the Lisbon Treaty. This states
that the European Council (made up of the heads of member states) should propose a candidate for the
president of the European Commission to the European Parliament, ‘taking into account the elections’.
The Council should pick the candidate on a ‘qualified majority’ basis (i.e. they need the support of 55%
of member states, representing at least 65% of the EU’s population). Then they should be elected by the
European Parliament and, if it rejects them, the Council should propose a new candidate within a month.
The first opportunity for the European Parliament to vote will be on 11 July.
The expectation is that the European Council should choose the candidate most able to secure a majority
in the European Parliament, in all likelihood the ‘spitzenkandidat’ of the group with the most MEPs.
This was what happened in 2014, with the Council endorsing the candidacy of Jean-Claude Juncker, the
European People’s Party’s ‘spitzenkandidat’ (although the UK and Hungary did not vote for him).
Ahead of this year’s election, opinions on the process have varied considerably. In 2018, the European
Parliament voted for a motion calling the 2014 process ‘a success’ and ‘a principle that cannot be
overturned’. It warned that should the European Council not adhere to it, there was a risk that the
candidate it put forward would not have ‘a sufficient parliamentary majority’ and that it was ‘ready to
9
reject’ any candidate who had not been so nominated. However, following a European Council meeting, its
president Donald Tusk warned that the process was not automatic and that nominating the president of
the European Commission was ‘the autonomous competence’ of the Council.
The European Council in agreement with its new president will nominate commissioners (one from each
country), with the European Parliament holding hearings with them in September and October, prior to
electing them in a single vote on 11 October. Then they will be formally adopted by a qualified-majority
vote of the European Council, ready to take office on 1 November 2019.
What happens if the UK leaves the EU after the elections?
The seats held by the UK in the European Parliament had been due to be reallocated. 27 were to be
given to other countries, reflecting changes in population, while the remaining 46 would have been held
in reserve. This is now not happening following the UK’s decision to participate in the elections. The
decision of the European Council that agreed the new numbers of MEPs per country states that should
the UK leave during the new European Parliament term, the number of seats allocated will then become
that agreed. This means that if Brexit occurs between 2019 and 2024, some EU member states will gain
additional MEPs midway through the Parliament.
Should the UK leave at the end of the current extension, on 31 October 2019, it would have left before
the new European Commission takes up office. However, it would have participated in the election and
appointment of the new president and commissioners. The decision to grant an extension noted that
the UK had committed ‘to act in a constructive and responsible manner’ and said that it should ‘refrain
from any measure that could jeopardise the attainment of the Union’s objectives, in particular when
participating in the decision-making processes of the Union’.
Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington indicated on 7 May that the Government was now aiming to have
Brexit ‘done and dusted by the summer recess’. As, under the terms of the extension, the UK will leave
the EU on the first day of the month following ratification of the deal, that would imply that 1 August is the
new target date. He said that the Government would ‘like to be in a situation where those MEPs from the
UK never actually have to take their seats in the European Parliament’.
10What do MEPs do?
What do MEPs do in their constituencies?
yy A significant part of the role of MEPs is to represent the interests of their constituents at a
European level, and to communicate goings-on in the European Parliament (and the EU in general)
to their home regions.
yy Generally, MEPs will have staff and an office in their region.
What do MEPs do in the European Parliament?
yy Most EU legislation requires the approval of both MEPs (through the European Parliament) and
member states (through the European Council), although in some areas MEPs have only an
advisory role. They are also required to approve the EU’s annual budget.
yy Plenary sessions of the whole European Parliament are held on a monthly basis, giving all MEPs the
opportunity to speak and vote on resolutions and European legislation.
yy There are also regular question time sessions with the President of the European Commission and
various of the Commissioners, allowing scrutiny of the work of the European Commission.
yy Much of MEPs’ work is done through participating in 20 committees concerned with specific policy
areas. These committees have 25 to 73 members and have a number of responsibilities, including
instructing legislation, proposing amendments to legislation, negotiating over proposed legislation
with the European Council, carrying out scrutiny and hearing evidence from experts. In addition, up
to 12 special committees can be set up at any one time, giving MEPs the opportunity to look into a
particular issue.
How does being in a political party affect MEPs?
yy In addition, MEPs also have party responsibilities. They are accountable to the political party they
belong to, which will be able to choose whether or not to reselect them as a candidate ahead of the
next election.
yy Their national party will also belong to a political grouping within the European Parliament, made
up of at least 25 MEPS from seven different countries. These will have their own roles, appointing
spokespeople on various issues and adopting joint stances on legislative proposals.
yy Some MEPs have gone on to be MPs, such as Caroline Lucas, Nick Clegg or Theresa Villiers. Being
an MEP may give a politician the chance to boost their profile within their party in the hope of
securing domestic preferment.
yy Despite being elected from a party list, MEPs are free to change parties within the European
Parliament. Should they resign, however, they will always be replaced by an MEP from the party
which they were originally elected to represent.
How does Brexit affect MEPs?
yy There will be some concern, both among existing MEPs choosing whether or not to stand again,
and people considering whether or not to stand, about their job security as it is entirely possible
that the UK could leave the EU within weeks or months of their election.
yy As things stand, the UK’s MEPs will lose their jobs when the Brexit extension ends on 31 October,
and could lose them before then. However, if a further extension was agreed, they could find
themselves in post for much longer.
yy This means that standing at the European elections may be an unattractive prospect for some
people who might otherwise put themselves forward, and this could have an impact on the
expertise, skills and calibre of the MEPs elected in May.
11Lord Adonis Mark Meechan aka Gavin Esler Anne Widdecombe Magid Magid
Count Dankula
Who’s standing?
Conservative
Of the 18 current Conservative MEPs, 15 are standing for re-election. Of those stepping down, David
Campbell Bannerman (East of England) has announced that he believed that ‘it would be dishonourable
for me personally to stand again as a Conservative MEP in these circumstances, particularly with my
strong views on honouring the Brexit result’, calling the decision to call the elections ‘entirely wrong
and counterproductive’. The party has yet to announce its campaign launch, but a report in The Times
suggests that it will be taking a low-key, damage-limitation approach, using only the taxpayer-funded
service which gives each party free delivery of one leaflet to each voter.
Change UK – The Independent Group
Change UK formally launched its European election campaign on 23 April, unveiling its list of candidates.
They included a range of high-profile figures, including Rachel Johnson (journalist, and sister of Tory MPs
Boris and Jo Johnson), former Conservative MPs Neil Carmichael and Stephen Dorrell, former Polish
deputy prime minister Jan Vincent-Rostowski, erstwhile Liberal Democrat MEP Diana Wallis, the sitting MEP
Richard Ashworth (elected as a Conservative) and ex-BBC journalist Gavin Esler. The new party suffered
some initial embarrassment when two of its initial candidates were forced to withdraw owing to remarks
they had made on social media. Conservative MEP, Julie Girling, who had announced her defection to
Change UK, has more recently said that she is not a member, and endorsed the Liberal Democrats.
Change UK launched its manifesto, called ‘Charter for Remain’ on 10 May, promising a People’s Vote on
the Brexit deal and a reformed EU.
12Green Party
Although the Green Party currently has three sitting MEPs, just one of them is standing for re-election
(Molly Scott-Cato in the South West region). The party’s lead candidates for the other two regions where
they currently have seats are Scott Ainslie in London (a councillor in Lambeth) and Alexandra Phillips in
the South East (Deputy Mayor of Brighton and Hove). Perhaps the party’s most high-profile candidate
is Magid Magid, lead candidate for Yorkshire and the Humber, who repeatedly made the headlines as
the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, banning Donald Trump from the city and causing The Guardian to describe
him as a ‘global celebrity’. Speaking at the party’s campaign launch on 8 May, Co-Leader Sian Berry said
that the party’s ‘message to the people is very simple: It’s time to say yes to Europe, yes to investing in
communities, and no to climate chaos.’
Labour
Just three of Labour’s 18 current MEPs are not standing for re-election. The most notable new additions
to Labour’s candidate list are arch-Remainer Lord Adonis, the party’s second candidate in the South West.
Last year, he said in a radio interview that Brexit supporters should not vote for Labour, but he recanted
this claim after his selection, endorsing Labour’s ‘sensible alternative plan that would ensure a close
economic relationship with the EU after Brexit’ and stance that if this is not possible, ‘all options should
remain on the table, including the option of a public vote.’ The party’s second candidate on the Yorkshire
and the Humber list is Eloise Todd, CEO of Best for Britain, which campaigns for ‘a democratic way to stop
Brexit’. However, Labour’s campaign has already been mired in controversy about its Brexit stance. A
meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee ruled out backing a referendum in all circumstance,
instead stating that the party would back one if the Government’s deal is unchanged and no election is
called. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launched the party’s campaign in Kent on 9 May, arguing that ‘a vote
for Labour is a vote to bring our divided country back together’, endorsing the party’s ‘alternative Brexit
plan’ but conceding that if it ‘can’t get a sensible deal, along the lines of our alternative plan or a general
election, Labour backs the option of a public vote.
Liberal Democrats
The party’s one current MEP (Catherine Bearder in the South East) is standing for re-election, and the
party’s other candidates include four former MEPs. Bill Newton Dunn (initially a Conservative, and later a
Lib Dem) is the lead candidate in the East Midlands, while that position is held by Phil Bennion in the West
Midlands, Chris Davies in the North West and Fiona Hall in the North East. Two former MPs are standing in
the South West – Martin Horwood and Stephen Williams, second and third on the party’s list respectively.
13The final place on the party’s list in the South West was reserved for a candidate nominated by the Liberal
Party of Gibraltar, and this turned out to be Luke Stagnetto, a twenty-year-old student at the University
of Bristol. Vince Cable launched the party’s manifesto on 9 May, with the cover bearing the eye-catching
slogan ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ (for those with tenderer sensibilities a version emblazoned with ‘Stop Brexit’ is
also available).
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru launched its election campaign on 2 May, with its Leader Adam Price arguing that it is ‘he only
party in Wales with a chance of winning seats in the European Parliament that is unequivocally supporting
a People’s Vote.’ The party currently has one MEP, Jill Evans, and she leads the party’s list of candidates.
The party’s manifesto for the elections was launched on 13 May, with Adam Price calling for a referendum
on Welsh independence if the UK leaves the EU without a further public vote.
Scottish National Party
Speaking at the SNP’s Conference on 28 April, Nicola Sturgeon said that her party’s message would be
‘clear and direct’ – ‘Scotland’s not for Brexit, Scotland’s for Europe. If you want to keep Scotland in Europe,
vote SNP.’ The party’s list of candidates is headed by one of its two incumbents – Alyn Smith (the other –
Ian Hudghton – is retiring). Former MSPs Christian Allard and Aileen McLeod are second and third, with
former MP Margaret Ferrier in fourth. Nicola Sturgeon launched the party’s campaign on 9 May, saying
that the SNP would be offering ‘a message of hope and ambition’, and that by voting for the party Scots
would be saying that they do ‘not want Brexit’.
The Brexit Party
Despite 14 of UKIP’s MEPs having now joined the Brexit Party, just three appear in its list of candidates
– party leader Nigel Farage in the South East, Nathan Gill in Wales, and Jonathan Bullock in the East
Midlands (where he is second on the list). Instead, the party has gone for a more eye-catching selection
of lead candidates, including Annunziata Rees-Mogg in the East Midlands (sister of the Conservative
MP Jacob Rees-Mogg and a former Conservative candidate in her own right), former Tory MP Ann
Widdecombe in the South West, former Southampton FC chairman Rupert Lowe in the West Midlands,
former Conservative MSP Brian Monteith in the North East, and the businessmen and Leave Means
Leave Co-Chairs John Longworth and Richard Tice in Yorkshire and the Humber and the East of England
respectively. One of the party’s most controversial candidates is former Revolutionary Communist Party
activist Claire Fox, lead candidate for the North West. One of her fellow candidates for the North West quit
after a defence of the IRA’s Warrington bombing published by the RCP after it happened resurfaced.
14UKIP
UKIP has also revealed its list of candidates, which features just three sitting MEPs – party leader Gerard
Batten in London, Stuart Agnew in the East of England, and Mike Hookem in Yorkshire and the Humber.
However, they have been overshadowed by two candidates with a controversial online history. Mark
Meechan, who has fourth place on the Scottish list and is better known as Count Dankula, was fined last
year after posting a video of him training his girlfriend’s dog to do Nazi salutes on YouTube; more recently
a forum he promoted was shut down after it was revealed to contain racist language and threats. Carl
Benjamin, known as Sargon of Akkad, who holds the second place on the South West list, refused to
apologise for saying he ‘wouldn’t even rape’ the Labour MP Jess Phillips; having made more comments of a
similar nature, he is now under investigation by the police. Gerard Batten has said he has not decided yet
whether to stand again for leader when his term ends in June.
Northern Ireland parties
In Northern Ireland, although there are three seats, because of the electoral system used, each party only
puts up one candidate. Both the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin are standing their incumbents
– Diane Dodds and Martina Anderson respectively. Dodds has said that the election is an opportunity for
people ‘to send a message to London and Brussels’ that ‘the will of the people’ should be implemented.
Speaking after her reselection, Anderson claimed that ‘Brexit will be a disaster for Ireland north and south,
deal or no deal’ and said that voting for her would ‘send a message to Brussels, London and Dublin that
we will not be left behind again’.
In 2014, the third seat in Northern Ireland went to the Ulster Unionist Party’s candidate, Jim Nicholson.
He is not standing for re-election, and the party has selected former MLA Danny Kennedy in his place.
He has called for the result of the referendum to ‘be respected and implemented’. Narrowly behind the
UUP last time were the Social Democratic and Labour Party, whose candidate this time is its leader Colum
Eastwood. He has said that the election ‘should be a referendum – the North’s People’s Vote’, adding that
the SDLP was ‘the most pro-Europe party in the Northern and the only p[arty which joined the official
campaign against Brexit in 2016’.
The other main parties standing in Northern Ireland are Traditionalist Unionist Voice, whose candidate
is their leader Jim Allister (a former DUP MEP, who finished fourth in 2014), who claimed that ‘voting TUV
will send an emphatic message – get on with getting out’ and that the UK should leave the EU ‘on WTO
terms’ immediately. The cross-community centrist party Alliance Party, which finished fifth last time but
performed strongly in the local elections earlier this month and is a sister party of the Liberal Democrats,
is also standing its leader, Naomi Long. She said that voting for her party ‘is the best way to send a clear
message that we want that new referendum’ and that it would provide ‘a strong liberal, cross-community
and pro-European voice’.
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