Since the last election, there have been various changes to the UK MEP breakdown. A 73rd UK MEP (Anthea McIntyre, Conservative) was allocated in December 2011 to the UK because of the Treaty of Lisbon. There have been various defections:
- one Conservative MEP (Edward McMillan-Scott) defected to the Liberal Democrats (March 2010);[4]
- one Conservative MEP (Roger Helmer) defected to UKIP (March 2012);
- two UKIP MEPs (David Campbell Bannerman in May 2011;[5] and Marta Andreasen in February 2013) defected to the Conservatives;[6]
- one UKIP MEP (Nikki Sinclaire) left the party and later founded the We Demand a Referendum party;
- one UKIP MEP (Mike Nattrass) left the party in September 2013 and later founded An Independence from Europe;[7]
- one UKIP MEP (Godfrey Bloom) left the party in September 2013 and sits now as an independent;[8]
- one BNP MEP (Andrew Brons) left the party and later founded the British Democratic Party.
The Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force (UCUNF) electoral pact between the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) in Northern Ireland was dissolved.
