Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by you in the European Parliamentary Elections and serve for up to five years.
Visit the UK Office of the European Parliament website to find information about your MEPs. (Follow the link in 'useful websites' on the right.)
Who is eligible
To become a MEP, any consent to nomination must contain a statement that the candidate is aware of the provisions of the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975.
No person other than a British, Comonwealth or Member State of the European Union is capable of being a member of Parliament. No person is capable of being elected a member of Parliament who is not of the age of 21 years. Under section 427(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986, where a court adjudges an individual bankrupt, the individual is disqualified for being elected to, or sitting or voting in, the House of Commons.
A candidate, or any other person convicted of a corrupt practice or reported by an election court personally guilty of a corrupt practice, at a parliamentary or local government election, is incapable for five years from the date of the conviction or report of being elected to, or sitting in, the House of Commons, and if already elected vacates the seat.