Britain set to gain an extra Member of the European Parliament

A written answer this week confirmed that Britain’s quota of MEPs is about to increase by one:

European Parliament Elections

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 July 2010, Official Report, columns 6-7WS, on the European Parliament Transitionary Protocol, whether the Electoral Commission was consulted on the arrangements for electing a new UK MEP before the intergovernmental conference on 23 June 2010; and if he will make a statement. [8599]

Mr Lidington: The transitionary Protocol concerning the composition of the European Parliament is a technical change to the Treaty relating to numbers of MEPs. It allows 18 extra MEPs provided for by the Lisbon Treaty to take their seats now rather than in 2014. The UK receives an extra MEP as a result.

The Protocol does not determine how, or from which UK European parliamentary electoral region, the UK’s additional MEP should be elected; rather that the MEP should be elected using one of the methods set out in the Protocol. Therefore, no prior consultation of the Electoral Commission was needed. Details of the process to be undertaken to elect the UK’s extra MEP will be announced in due course, and the Electoral Commission will be consulted fully at the appropriate time, as required by the relevant legislation.