General Election 2024: What happens now an election has been called?
Rishi Sunak has called a general election for this summer.
The prime minister has been saying for months he would call a vote for the “second half of the year”, and it will now be held on Thursday, 4 July.
Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, Mr Sunak had until 17 December this year to call an election – as votes must be held no more than five years apart.
Sky News looks at what happens now.
General election latest: Rishi Sunak to call election for 4 July
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 – end the session – legally lies with him.
Parliament must be “dissolved” for an election to officially take place. Polling day then takes 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.
Rishi Sunak will go to the King to request the dissolution of parliament
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.
During “wash-up”, parliament will continue as normal, but any parliamentary business not completed by the end of that time will not enter into law and cannot be continued into the next parliament.
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This normally leads to a rush to pass legislation through parliament to get it onto the statute book, which often means parties having 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 Institute for Government (IfG) analysis.
What happens after parliament is dissolved?
Once parliament is dissolved, there are no longer any MPs 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 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.
Boris Johnson won the last election in 2019 with a landslide. Pic: PA
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.
Voters now need to provide ID to be able to vote. Pic: PA
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 or other politicians became a feature of campaigns in 2010.
Their timing and format are negotiated between political parties and broadcasters, but there is no obligation for any of them to take part.
Polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm on election day. Pic: PA
Polling day
Registered voters can submit postal votes before the day, but most people go to polling stations, which are open from 7am until 10pm.
This will be the first general election where photographic ID will be required to vote.
When voting closes, an exit poll is announced following a survey of voters taken from about 150 constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales.
What happens after the election?
If the current government retains a majority in the new Parliament after an election, it will continue in office and resume normal business.
If the election results in a clear majority for a different party, the incumbent prime minister and government will immediately resign, and the King will invite the leader of the party that has won the election to form a government.
It becomes slightly more complicated if the result is a hung parliament.
The current government remains in office unless and until the prime minister tenders his and the government’s resignation to the King.
The government is entitled to await the meeting of the new parliament to see if it can command the
confidence of the House of Commons or to resign if it becomes clear that it is unlikely to command that confidence.
They could also be forced to resign if they lose a vote of no confidence, at which point, the person who appears to be most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons will be asked by the Monarch to form a government.
In terms of dates, the new Parliament will be summoned to meet on Tuesday, 9 July, when 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.
The King has met survivors of last month’s Huntingdon train mass stabbing, during a special reception at Buckingham Palace.
He shook hands with train guard Samir Zitouni, who was seriously injured as he stepped in to protect passengers.
More than 10 people were hurt in the stabbing on the 6.25pm LNER service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on 1 November, which diverted to Huntingdon.
The King greets the train’s driver, Andrew Johnson. Pic: PA
The monarch also met Andrew Johnson, who previously served in the Royal Navy, and was driving the service at the time of the attack.
He was praised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his quick thinking when he moved the train on to a slow line.
That decision allowed it to stop at Huntingdon station, leading to a quicker response time by emergency services and potentially saving lives.
Mr Zitouni was credited with saving multiple lives, but was left in a critical condition due to injuries he suffered in the attack.
Stephen Crean, a football fan who had been returning home after watching Nottingham Forest’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, was also injured while fighting back to protect others during the incident.
Mr Crean said he would need plastic surgery following his injuries.
The monarch greets Stephen Crean and his wife Monludee Crean during the reception. Pic: PA
Amira Ostalski, a student who suddenly found herself in danger, said she ran into the buffet car where she picked up a metal tray to protect herself and her friend.
“I was honestly so petrified. I thought in that moment it was the last time I was ever going to be alive. I thought I was going to die,” she said.
Anthony Williams was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article following the train attack.
He remains in custody pending further court hearings scheduled for next year.
A nine-year-old girl found dead in Weston-super-Mare has been named on the day police revealed a teenager had been charged with her murder.
Emergency services were called to Lime Close in the Somerset town at 6.09pm on Monday but Aria Thorpe was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said a 15-year-old boy had been charged with her murder and that a preliminary post-mortem found she died from a single stab wound.
The teenage boy – who can’t be named due to his age – will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court later today.
A police cordon remains in place as forensics officers continue their work.
Flowers and tributes have been left at the scene. Pic: PA
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Superintendent Jen Appleford, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the community was in shock and Aria’s family were being supported by police.
“It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy,” she said.
Supt Appleford said police were working with local schools and other agencies to make sure support is available.
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