Santer Commission
Having a home in the south of England, Provan was selected as Conservative candidate for South Downs West in the run-up to the 1994 European Parliament election, a much better area for the Conservatives. He was elected with a 21,000 majority and became the Chief Whip for the Conservative Group. The tensions in the group became apparent when it split three ways in a vote on approving the Santer Commission; Provan himself voted against.