Re‐assessing the Conservative Anti‐EEC Rebellion of 1971–2*

Abstract

Abstract Historians have overlooked the 1971–2 Conservative EEC rebellion because of the relative ease with which Edward Heath took the UK into the European Economic Community (EEC). In contrast with the rebellion over ratification of the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, Heath did not lose a vote on ‘Europe’. However, the episode marks a turning point in the way anti‐EEC dissent was expressed in the Conservative Party. The rush for EEC entry after the 1970 election stunned anti‐marketeers who believed they would not be corralled into voting against their stated beliefs. This pushed Neil Marten MP into organising a more sophisticated rebel organisation that would intensify the rebellion against the EEC. When compared to previous dissent on the EEC, it was organised and fully prepared to bring down a Conservative government. The episode nearly split the Conservative Party in two as anti‐market MPs threatened their constituency associations with by‐elections to resist grassroots pressure.