Edward McMillan-Scott was elected as Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament in 1997, following Tom Spencer's decision to step down. McMillan-Scott oversaw success in the 1999 European Elections, with the Conservatives doubling their number of MEPs. However, he faced internal dissent from within the expanded Delegation, and in 2001 lost a leadership challenge to Jonathan Evans.

McMillan-Scott remained an MEP, and in 2004 was elected as a Vice-President of the European Parliament, a position he held until 2014. He left the Conservatives in 2009 following disagreements with the Party Leadership over the launch of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group, subsequently joining the Liberal Democrats in 2010. He remained an MEP until 2014, when he failed to win re-election.