1975 UK EEC Referendum: Britain's First Vote on Europe

The 1975 UK EEC referendum, held on 5 June 1975, was the first nationwide referendum in British history. Voters were asked whether the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community, then widely called the Common Market, which it had joined only two years earlier. Around two-thirds said Yes, settling the question for a generation but not for good.

Background: Labour divided over Europe

Britain joined the European Economic Community on 1 January 1973 under the Conservative prime minister Edward Heath (see UK joins the EEC). Labour was bitterly divided. Many on its left saw the Community as a capitalist club that would limit socialist policies, while pro-Europeans such as Roy Jenkins believed membership was vital for Britain’s economy and influence.

Harold Wilson found a way to hold the party together. Labour’s manifesto for the February 1974 general election promised to renegotiate the terms of entry and then give the people the final say, through a general election or a consultative referendum. Labour returned to power as a minority government in March 1974 and won a small majority in October.

The renegotiation

James Callaghan, the Foreign Secretary, led talks with the other eight member states through 1974 and early 1975. The main issues were Britain’s large contribution to the Community budget, access for Commonwealth produce such as New Zealand butter, and the Common Agricultural Policy.

The talks ended at a European Council meeting in Dublin on 10–11 March 1975, which agreed a correcting mechanism for budget payments and continued access for New Zealand dairy goods. Critics called the changes cosmetic, but Wilson declared that the terms had been substantially improved and recommended a Yes vote. The cabinet backed him by 16 votes to 7.

The campaign

To avoid ministers resigning, Wilson suspended the convention of collective cabinet responsibility, allowing seven cabinet members to campaign against the government’s recommendation. In April 1975 the House of Commons approved the new terms by 396 votes to 170, but more Labour MPs voted against than for, and a special Labour Party conference voted roughly two to one for leaving.

The Yes side, organised as Britain in Europe, was a cross-party alliance led by Roy Jenkins with Edward Heath, the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe and most business leaders and newspapers. Margaret Thatcher, elected Conservative leader in February 1975, also backed staying in. Britain in Europe spent many times more than its opponents.

The No side, the National Referendum Campaign, joined left-wing Labour figures such as Tony Benn, Michael Foot, Barbara Castle and Peter Shore with the right-wing Enoch Powell, then an Ulster Unionist MP. They warned of rising food prices, lost jobs and the loss of parliamentary sovereignty. Every household received three leaflets: one from the government and one from each campaign.

The result

Polls opened on Thursday 5 June 1975 and votes were counted the next day by county and region. The Yes side won decisively in all four nations of the United Kingdom.

England voted Yes by about 69 percent, Wales by about 65 percent, Scotland by about 58 percent and Northern Ireland by about 52 percent. Only Shetland and the Western Isles voted No. Wilson said that fourteen years of national argument were over, and Benn accepted the result.

Analysts at the time noted that support for staying in was strongest among older and middle-class voters and in rural and southern England. Many voters followed the lead of familiar, moderate politicians on the Yes side, while the No campaign was hurt by being associated with figures seen as extreme. Economic anxiety in a year of high inflation also made many reluctant to take the risk of leaving.

Consequences and legacy

The referendum ended open debate about membership for several years and strengthened Wilson’s authority. Yet Labour’s divisions persisted: in 1983 the party fought an election promising withdrawal without a referendum, and several pro-European figures left in 1981 to found the Social Democratic Party.

The 1975 vote also set a precedent. Referendums were later used for devolution in 1979 and 1997, for the voting system in 2011 and for membership of the European Union in 2016, when the result went the other way (see Brexit referendum). Historians often contrast the two votes, noting the very different economic and political moods of 1975 and 2016.

Timeline

• 1973, 1 January: United Kingdom joins the European Economic Community.
• 1974, February: Labour manifesto promises renegotiation and a popular vote.
• 1975, 11 March: Renegotiation concluded at the Dublin European Council.
• 1975, 9 April: House of Commons approves the renegotiated terms, 396 to 170.
• 1975, 26 April: Special Labour conference votes to leave.
• 1975, 5 June: Referendum held across the United Kingdom.
• 1975, 6 June: Results declared; 67.2 percent vote to stay in.

Why it matters

The 1975 referendum confirmed Britain’s place in the European Community for four decades and introduced the national referendum into British politics. Its arguments over sovereignty, prices and influence returned with full force in 2016.