Somerset and Dorset West (European Parliament constituency)

Somerset and Dorset West
European Parliament constituency
Member stateUnited Kingdom
Created1984
Dissolved1994
MEPs1
Sources
[1]

Somerset and Dorset West was a European Parliament constituency covering all of Somerset in England, plus parts of Avon and western Dorset.

Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales. The European Parliament constituencies used under that system were smaller than the later regional constituencies and only had one Member of the European Parliament each.

It consisted of the Westminster Parliament constituencies (on their 1983 boundaries) of Bridgwater, Somerton and Frome, Taunton, Wells, West Dorset, Weston-super-Mare, Woodspring, and Yeovil.[1]

The constituency replaced Somerset and parts of Wessex. It was itself replaced by much of Somerset and North Devon and parts of Bristol and Dorset and East Devon in 1994. These seats became part of the much larger South West England constituency in 1999.

Members of the European Parliament

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Elected Name Party
1984 Margaret Daly Conservative
1994 Constituency abolished

Results

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European Parliament election, 1984: Somerset and Dorset West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Daly 98,928 50.9
Liberal Richard Moore 58,677 30.2
Labour Jane Linden 38,863 18.9
Majority 40,251 20.7
Turnout 196,468 36.0
Conservative win (new seat)
European Parliament election, 1989: Somerset and Dorset West[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Margaret Daly 106,716 45.0 −5.9
Green Richard Lawson 54,496 23.0 New
Labour Diana Organ 46,210 19.5 +0.6
SLD Murdoch MacTaggart 28,662 12.1 −18.1
Wessex Regionalist Anthony Mockler 930 0.4 New
Majority 52,220 22.0 +1.3
Turnout 237,014 40.7 +4.7
Conservative hold Swing

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "David Boothroyd's United Kingdom Election Results". Retrieved 20 January 2008.
  2. ^ a b United Kingdom European Parliamentary Election results 1979-99: England: Part 2
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