When will the next UK general election be?

AFTER months of speculation, Rishi Sunak has dramatically announced a date for the General Election.

The PM revealed the date after a year and a half of scrutiny over his leadership.

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When are the general elections?

Rishi Sunak has called a general election for Thursday 4 July 2024.

Speaking from Downing St, Sunak said: “The last five years have been the most challenging times since the Second World War.

“Now is the time to decide whether we want to continue the progress we’ve made or risk going back to square one, with no plan and no certainty.”

The Prime Minister added: “I have spoken to His Majesty the King to request the dissolution of Parliament.

“The king has granted this request and we will have general elections on July 4th.

“These elections will take place at a time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War.”

The surprising move comes at a time when the Conservatives trail Labor by 20 points in the polls and are at risk of being ousted by the Opposition after 14 years in government.

As things stand, Sir Keir Starmer is on his way to victory.

For months, Sunak had been saying an election would take place in the “second half of the year” but refused to set a date.

In October 2023, he hinted that the next election would be in October 2024.

In a video to mark one year in office on his social media accounts, the prime minister said he wanted another year in office because “there is still work to do”.

The 46-second video, posted to the Downing Street YouTube channel, asked viewers: “So what can a country achieve in 52 weeks? Watch this space.”

The last election was won by the Conservatives with a majority of 365 seats, which has fallen to 350 seats since the by-election defeats.

Can a general election be called before the next set date?

Sitting prime ministers have the power to call a general election early if they wish.

The contests are traditionally held on the first Thursday in May, to coincide with local council votes.

There must be 25 days’ notice for an election so that candidates can go into campaign mode.

For this to happen, Parliament is dissolved and the government’s main business is suspended.

If early elections are not called, the current parliament will be the first since 2015 to complete a term.

However, there are several reasons why a general election is called early.

In 2017, Theresa May called early elections, a decision that cost the Conservatives their majority.

The last general election, called by Johnson in 2019, was also brought forward.

Boris was ousted as leader of the Conservative Party after a wave of resignations of his ministers.

This led him to resign as prime minister as well as party leader.

A leadership election took place which saw Sunak and Liz Truss facing off in the polls, with Truss coming out on top to become the UK’s third female Prime Minister.

However, her reign was short-lived as she resigned after just 44 days, with Rishi Sunak succeeding her as leader.

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What could cause an early election?

The prime minister can choose to call general elections whenever he wishes, before the end of his five-year term.

An election called earlier than originally scheduled is known as a snap election.

These are generally called upon to capitalize on a strong position in the polls or an unusual electoral opportunity, often resulting in a greater majority for the party in power.

Former prime minister David Cameron introduced new rules in 2011 that limited prime ministers’ powers to trigger snap contests.

He introduced the Fixed Term Parliament Act to provide stability to his coalition with Nick Clegg’s Lib Dems.

According to him, an election could only be called if an absolute majority of two-thirds of deputies voted in favor or if the government lost a confidence motion.

But the act had unintended consequences and led to a parliamentary deadlock during Brexit negotiations.

This meant that former Prime Minister May, who lacked a majority, was unable to force an election.

However, Johnson scrapped the legislation in March 2022 and returned to the system where the prime minister controls the triggering of a national vote.

Can the public force a general election?

The power to call a general election whenever theoretically means that, if there was sufficient strength of public opinion, one could be called.

However, it is highly unlikely that a sitting prime minister will call early elections due to public pressure.

The public is much more likely to want a general election when they are dissatisfied with the current leadership, so the incumbent prime minister would likely lose in that scenario.

Public pressure and appeals would have to be overwhelming, but only the Prime Minister – or the King, theoretically – could force general elections.

How often are general elections in the UK?

A full parliamentary term in the UK can last up to five years, with general elections held on the first Thursday in May.

Now that the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011 is over, prime ministers can call elections whenever they wish.

This tends to occur every four or five years when it is most beneficial to them and their party.

Leaders in a strong position typically reach out to people sooner, with those fearing a loss while waiting for their term to end.

Parties in a weaker position are more likely to wait until the term ends or resolve issues without general elections.

Votes of confidence can be made to eliminate a leader who is not providing what the party needs – this can be done for both a sitting prime minister and the leader of the opposition.

If a sitting PM is ousted from his party, a leadership contest takes place instead of a general election.

Why are elections always held on Thursdays?

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Every general election since 1935 has been held on a Thursday.

Before that, the day varied mid-week, with occasional Saturdays.

It is suggested that as Thursday was traditionally market day, meaning more people would already be in town, this could potentially result in greater participation.

Others suggest that a Friday election could lead to more drunken voting due to Friday’s payday, while a Sunday election could be influenced by Sunday sermons.

Another reason is that an election on Thursday would allow the nation to know the result on Friday and give the new leader the weekend to name his Cabinet before entering his first full week as Prime Minister.

But this system caused problems for the UK when we were members of the EU, as most European countries hold theirs on Sundays.

This meant that votes cast for MEPs had to be kept for three days to be counted at the same time, just like the rest of the continent.

Can the king dissolve parliament?

Yes, the King can dissolve parliament.

The reintroduction of the Dissolution and Convocation of Parliament Act 2022 now gives the monarch power to dissolve Parliament if he feels the need.

This means that the monarchy can now request a new Parliament and therefore trigger general elections earlier.

Who won the last UK general election?

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The last general election was called in December 2019 by Boris Johnson, with the Conservatives winning a 365-seat majority in Parliament – ​​gaining 47 seats after a disastrous performance in 2017.

The exit poll, which predicted that the Conservatives would win 368 seats, was almost accurate.

Labor retained more seats than anticipated, with 203 compared to 191 in the poll.

The SNP picked up a further 13 seats – including Jo Swinson’s East Dunbartonshire seat.

But instead of gaining a seat as predicted in the poll, the Liberal Democrats lost one.

In what year were the first general elections held in the United Kingdom?

The first elections are intertwined with the origins of Parliament and the emergence of the House of Commons in the medieval period.

What came to be known as Parliament was preceded by the central assemblies, or witan – which literally translates as “wise men” – which had been convened since the time of King Athelston of the Anglo-Saxons, at least in the year 924.

The first election of what was then known as Great Britain – following the Acts of Union, which united the Parliaments of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland – was held in 1708.

The 1802 General Election was the first to be held after the 1800 Acts of Union, which united the Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland.

But before 1832, only one in 20 people had the right to vote, with gradual improvements occurring over the following decades.

In terms of the general public’s voting rights, male suffrage only occurred in 1918, when men over the age of 21 – and women over the age of 30 – were given the right to vote.

Women between the ages of 21 and 30 had to wait until 1928 for suffrage, and the vote was not extended to all eligible people aged 18 and over until 1969.

When did UK elections change to 5 years?

Following the 2010 general election, the Lib Dem-Conservative coalition enacted the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011, which established a five-year term.

Now that the Fixed Term Parliamentary Act 2011 is over, prime ministers can call elections whenever they wish.

But the maximum term of office of Parliament is set at five years from the day of its first meeting.

When was the last time the Labor Party was in power?

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The last Labor Prime Minister was Gordon Brown in 2010.

Brown replaced Tony Blair after his resignation in 2007, becoming the sixth post-war prime minister to take office without having won the general election at the time.

Blair was voted number 10 over the Conservative’s John Major in 1997 and served as prime minister for ten years.

The “soft left” politician led the party under the name “New Labour”, distancing himself from previous politics and adopting a new Labor style of government.

Blair resigned following growing internal pressure from the Labor Party and other factors such as the 2007 Iraq war.