Bedfordshire (European Parliament constituency)

Bedfordshire
European Parliament constituency
Member stateUnited Kingdom
Created1979
Dissolved1984
MEPs1
Sources
[1]

Bedfordshire was a constituency of the European Parliament located in the United Kingdom, electing one Member of the European Parliament by the first-past-the-post electoral system. Created in 1979 for the first elections to the European Parliament, it was abolished in 1984 and succeeded by Cambridge and Bedfordshire North and Bedfordshire South.

Boundaries

It consisted of the parliamentary constituencies of Bedford, Mid Bedfordshire, South Bedfordshire, Hemel Hempstead, Hitchin, Luton East, and Luton West.[1]

When it was abolished in 1984, the subsequent seats were based on the parliamentary constituencies created by the 1983 boundary changes. The area covered by the new parliamentary constituencies of Mid Bedfordshire and North Bedfordshire became part of the Cambridge and Bedfordshire North constituency, while the new constituencies of South West Bedfordshire, Stevenage, West Hertfordshire, Luton North and Luton South were transferred to Bedfordshire South.[2]

MEPs

Election Member Party
1979 Peter Beazley Conservative
1984 constituency abolished, see Cambridge and Bedfordshire North and Bedfordshire South

Elections

1979 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom: Bedfordshire[3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter George Beazley 102,054 58.8
Labour M N Elliott 48,454 27.9
Liberal Paul D Roberts 21,943 12.6
Independent
Centre-Right
T H Shrive 1,198 0.7
Majority 53,600 30.9
Turnout 515,236 33.7
Conservative win (new seat)

References

  1. ^ Boundary Commission for England, European Assembly Constituencies, December 1978.
  2. ^ European Parliament Information Office, MEPs and their constituencies, December 1988
  3. ^ European Parliament election 1979 : United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland : results of the European election on 7 June 1979, Luxembourg: European Parliament, October 1983
  4. ^ "United Kingdom European Parliamentary Election results 1979-99: England". Election.demon.co.uk. Retrieved 7 November 2018.