The European elections on May 23rd are fast approaching and it has now been confirmed that the UK will be electing MEPs (members of the European Parliament), after it was initially thought Britain would have left the EU two months ago.

The European Parliament creates laws and approves budgets for the European Union, and is made up of elected members from all 28 member states. Currently, the European Parliament is made up of 751 MEPs, with 73 of these coming from the UK. Parties from across Europe work together in separate groups, based on ideology, to pass legislation.

EU elections have a different voting system to other elections held in the UK. In the Scotland, Wales and England, MEPs are elected using the D’Hondt method, a voting method which is more proportional than first-past-the-post.

Voters cast their ballot for a party, rather than an individual candidate, with candidates running on a party list.

This video from the BBC’s EU election coverage in 2009 explains how the D’Hondt method works.

North East England elects three of the UK’s 73 MEPs. The region covers Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire.

At the last EU election, North East England elected 2 Labour MEPs and 1 UKIP.

Candidates

Brexit Party

  1. Brian Monteith
  2. John Tennant
  3. Richard Monaghan

Change UK

  1. Frances Weetman
  2. Penny Hawley
  3. Kathryn Heywood

Conservative Party

  1. Richard Lawrie
  2. Chris Galley
  3. Duncan Crute

Green Party

  1. Rachel Featherstone
  2. Jonathan Elmer
  3. Dawn Furness

Labour Party

  1. Jude Kirton-Darling
  2. Paul Brannen
  3. Clare Penny-Evans

Liberal Democrats

  1. Fiona Hall
  2. Julie Porksen
  3. Aidan King

UKIP

  1. Richard Elvin
  2. Chris Gallacher
  3. Alan John Breeze
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