Implications of the 2024 General Election

Requesting permission to dissolve parliament

The prime minister has already requested permission from the King to hold a general election, as the power to dissolve parliament and end the session legally lies with him.

Parliament must be “dissolved” for an election to officially take place. Polling days then take place 25 working days after that date.

Mr Sunak said in a speech outside Downing Street on Wednesday that the King had granted his request to dissolve parliament.

As a result, parliament will be prorogued on Friday, 24 May, while dissolution will take place on Thursday, 30 May.

What happens in parliament after an election is called?

There is usually a period of several days, known as “wash-up”, between an election being called and the dissolution of parliament.

While the “wash-up” parliament will continue as normal, any parliamentary business not completed by the end of that time will not enter into law and cannot be continued into the next parliament.

This normally leads to a rush to pass legislation through parliament to get it onto the statute book, which often means parties have to work together to agree on which bills they will support.

The longest “wash-up” period since 1992 was in 2017, when parliament sat for a further seven days after the election was called, according to an Institute for Government (IfG) analysis.

What happens after parliament is dissolved?

Once parliament is dissolved, no more MPs are available as every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant.

House of Lords members retain their positions, but no more business happens until the next parliament begins.

Government ministers will remain in post until a new government is formed.

However, government activity is restricted during the campaign period to ensure public money is not used to support the campaign of the party in power and to maintain civil service impartiality.

Restrictions normally begin when parliament has been dissolved; however, they can start before this, as they did in 2017.

The campaign

Campaigning never stops for political parties, but it will ramp up after an election is announced.

Parties, their candidates, and supporters will promote their policies during the campaign period by publishing informative material, knocking on doors to talk to people, writing newspaper articles, and supporters putting posters in their windows or placards in their front gardens.

There is no set time for when manifestos explaining the parties’ pledges have to be launched, but they generally happen within a few days of each other.

Since 1997, Labour and Conservative manifestos have been launched between 18 and 29 days before the election, the IFG found.

Televised debates between party leaders and other politicians became a feature of campaigns in 2010.

Political parties and broadcasters negotiate the timing and format. There is no obligation for any party to participate.

Polling day

Registered voters can submit postal votes prior to Election Day. Most people, however, go to polling stations, which are open from 7am to 10pm.

This will be the first general election where photographic ID will be required to vote.

As voting closes, an exit poll will be announced. Following a survey of voters in about 150 constituencies in England, Scotland, and Wales, the results will be shared.

What happens after the election?

If the current government maintains a majority in the new Parliament, they will continue in office. Once they are back in power, they will resume normal business.

What if the election results in a clear majority for a different party? The incumbent prime minister and government will resign immediately. The King will then invite the leader of the winning party to form a government.

The prime minister tenders his resignation to the King, or the prime minister tenders the government’s resignation to the King.

The government can wait for the meeting of the new parliament. If it is unable to command the confidence of the House of Commons, it may consider resigning.

If they lose a vote of no confidence, they could be forced to resign. At this point, a person is most likely to receive the confidence of the House of Commons. Later, they will be asked by the monarch to form a government.

The new Parliament will be summoned to meet on Tuesday, July 9. On this day, the first business will be the election of the speaker and the swearing-in of members.

The state opening of Parliament will be on Wednesday, 17 July.

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