South West was a combined constituency region of the European Parliament, comprising the South West of England and Gibraltar. Seven, later six, Members of the European Parliament using closed party-list proportional representation allocated using the D'Hondt method of distribution were elected. The constituency was abolished when Britain left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
Boundaries The constituency consisted of the South West England region of the United Kingdom, comprising the ceremonial counties of Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. It also included the British overseas territory of Gibraltar from 2004.
History The constituency was formed as a result of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999, replacing a number of single-member constituencies. These were Bristol, Cornwall and West Plymouth, Devon and East Plymouth, Dorset and East Devon, Somerset and North Devon, Wiltshire North and Bath, and parts of Cotswolds.
Before the 2004 election, it was expanded to include Gibraltar. This was the result of a 1999 European Court of Human Rights case, which argued that Gibraltar should be entitled to vote in European elections. Spain took a complaint about non-EU Commonwealth citizens resident in Gibraltar participating in European elections to the European Court of Justice, but their case was unsuccessful.
The number of seats was reduced from seven to six for the 2009 election.
MEPs for former South West England constituencies, 1979 – 1999 Election 1979 – 1984 1984 – 1989 1989 – 1994 1994 – 1999 Bristol Richard CottrellConservative Ian WhiteLabour Cornwall and Plymouth (1979–1994)Cornwall and West Plymouth (1994–1999) David HarrisConservative Christopher BeazleyConservative Robin TeversonLiberal Democrat Cotswolds Lord PlumbConservative Devon (1979–1994)Devon and East Plymouth (1994–1999) Lord O'HaganConservative Giles ChichesterConservative Somerset (1979–1984)Somerset and Dorset West (1984–1994)Somerset and North Devon (1994–1999) Frederick WarnerConservative Margaret DalyConservative Graham WatsonLiberal Democrat Upper Thames (1979–1984)Wiltshire (1984–1994)Wiltshire North and Bath (1994–1999) Robert JacksonConservative Caroline JacksonConservative Wessex (1979–1984)Dorset East and Hampshire West (1984–1994)Dorset and East Devon (1994–1999) James SpicerConservative Bryan CassidyConservative
Returned members MEPs for South West England, 1999 onwardsElection MEPParty Michael HolmesResigned in 2002.UKIP (1999–2000)Independent (2000–02) Graham BoothAppointed in 2002 to replace Michael Holmes, retired on 1 October 2008.UKIP Trevor ColmanAppointed in 2008 to replace Graham Booth.UKIP Julia ReidUKIP (2014–18) Independent (2018–19) Brexit Party Ann Widdecombe Brexit Party MEPParty Conservative Roger KnapmanUKIP 10th Earl of DartmouthUKIP (2009–18) Independent (2018–19) James Glancy Brexit Party MEPParty Caroline JacksonConservative Ashley FoxConservative Christina Jordan Brexit Party MEPParty Neil ParishConservative Julie GirlingConservative (2009–17) Independent (2017–19) Change UK (2019) Renew Caroline VoadenLiberal Democrat MEPParty Giles ChichesterConservative Clare MoodyLabour Martin HorwoodLiberal Democrat MEPParty Graham WatsonLiberal Democrat Molly Scott CatoGreen MEPParty Glyn FordLabourGSLP Seat abolished
Election results See also: 2004 European Parliament election in Gibraltar and 2009 European Parliament election in Gibraltar
Elected candidates are shown in bold. Brackets indicate the order in which candidates were elected and number of votes per seat won in their respective columns.
2019
2014
2009
2004
1999
Campaign for a dedicated Euro-constituency and MEP for Cornwall The Cornish nationalist party Mebyon Kernow campaigned for a separate European Parliament constituency for Cornwall. Until 1994 Cornwall was represented by the much smaller Cornwall and Plymouth constituency.
See also 2014 European Parliament election in Gibraltar
References