British Values: What is a General election?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the next general election will take place on 4 July 2024.
A general election gives adults (aged 18 and over) a chance to vote for whom they'd like to run the country. In the UK, this is the prime minister.
In most countries, a general election is a scheduled and repeated event. Under the UK Fixed Term Parliaments Act, general elections are to be held every 5 years in the UK. (3)
A general election can only be held earlier if:
Members of Parliament (MPs) motion for a vote of no confidence.
The motion of no confidence is agreed to by two-thirds of MPs
The government has been dissolved sooner by the King
If a general election is held earlier, this is called a 'snap election'.
When is the next UK general election?
The date of the UK's last general election was 12 December 2019 and the date of the next general election has just been announced as 4th July 2024.
25 working days are then allowed to prepare for the election.
Who decides when to call a general election?
The prime minister decides. The PM formally asks the King to "dissolve" Parliament - the official term for closing Parliament ahead of an election.
The poll generally takes place 25 days later. At the point of dissolution, MPs lose their status and have to campaign for re-election if they wish to carry on.
The government also enters a pre-election period - previously known as "purdah" - which restricts ministerial and departmental activity during the campaign. (2)
Can I vote for a new Prime Minister?
You can only vote to elect your local MP in your constituency in a general election. You cannot vote for a new Prime Minister.
How does Voting work?
The UK is divided into 650 constituencies. Each of these areas selects an MP to represent its residents in the House of Commons in London.
MPs belong to political parties. Most candidates represent a specific political party, but some choose to stand as independents. (3)
A political party is a group formed of people who share the same political ideas.
There are over 400 registered political parties (3), but the main parties in the UK are:
Conservatives (Tory)
Labour
Scottish National Party
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems)
Plaid Cymru
Green Party
Sinn Féin
On election day, registered voters in each constituency vote for their preferred candidate in their local polling station or by post in advance. In a general election, each person has one vote.
If you live in the constituency represented by the current Prime Minister you are still only voting for them as your local MP in the next Parliament.
This is the same if you live in the constituency of the leader of another political party. You will only be voting for them as your local MP.
To win the general election, a political party needs to reach 326 elected MPs which is half the number of MPs in the House of Commons, plus one making them a majority.
After the votes have been counted and a party has won an overall majority, the King asks the leader of the party with the most MPs to become prime minister and to form a government. The leader of the party with the second highest number of MPs becomes the leader of the opposition.
What if there is not majority?
A 'hung Parliament' is a Parliament in which no political party wins a majority of seats.
The largest party can either form a minority government or enter into a coalition government of two or more parties.
This last happened in 2010 when a coalition of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats was the only two-party combination able to make up a majority of the seats.
Can I vote in the UK?
Anyone on the electoral register aged 18 or above on polling day has a vote as long as they are:
a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a Republic of Ireland citizen with a UK address
all UK citizens who live abroad can now register to vote in the constituency where they were previously on the electoral roll
not legally excluded from voting
You can register to vote at any time if you are 16 or over - or 14 or over in Scotland.
Will I need photo ID to vote at the general election?
Yes. Since May 2023, voters have to show a valid form of photo ID at polling stations to vote in person at a general election.
There are 22 acceptable forms of ID,, external including:
passports
driving licences
Older or Disabled Person's bus passes
Oyster 60+ cards
You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.
The deadline to apply for a voter authority certificate to use in the general election is 17:00 on Wednesday 26 June.
If you realise you do not have valid ID after this deadline, you can apply for an emergency proxy vote, external up until 17:00 on polling day.
Some UK General Election History Facts
The first UK general election was held in 1708, after the Acts of Union united the parliaments of England and Scotland.
The first prime minister of the UK was Robert Walpole. He's also the longest-serving prime minister, lasting 20 years.
Liz Truss is the shortest-serving UK prime minister, resigning after seven weeks.
In 1928, women won the right to vote the same as men in the UK general election.
Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee are often ranked the most successful British prime ministers.
There have only ever been three female British prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher, Teresa May and Liz Truss.
(1) https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-general-election-and-voting-in-the-uk/
(2) https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62064552
(3) https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/general-election
