96-411: The Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) was a British Government agency which ran a variety of auxiliary vessels for His Majesty's Naval Service (incl. Royal Navy , Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ). The service from 2009 has been run by Serco and is known as Serco Marine Services . The Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service merged with the former Port Auxiliary Service in 1976 to form
192-459: A Slip 'N Slide , while drawing attention to deteriorating mental health among children. On 23 May, Sunak said that before the election there would be no flights to Rwanda for those seeking asylum . Immigration figures were published for 2023 showing immigration remained at historically high levels, but had fallen compared to 2022. Nigel Farage announced that he would not be standing in the general election, preferring to focus on campaigning for
288-471: A landslide victory . The election was the first general election victory for Labour since 2005 , and ended the Conservatives' fourteen-year tenure as the primary governing party. Labour achieved a 174-seat simple majority, and a total of 411 seats, a single-party figure surpassed only by Tony Blair in 1997 . The party's vote share was 33.7%, the lowest of any majority party on record, making this
384-821: A voter identification requirement in Great Britain. These changes were included in the Elections Act 2022 . The Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies , which proposed reducing the number of constituencies from 650 to 600, commenced in 2011 but temporarily stopped in January 2013. Following the 2015 general election , each of the four parliamentary boundary commissions of the United Kingdom recommenced their review process in April 2016. The four commissions submitted their final recommendations to
480-536: A "nuclear deterrent triple lock", including building four new nuclear submarines. A YouGov poll conducted on the same day put Labour on course for the party's biggest election victory in history, beating Tony Blair 's 1997 landslide . On 4 June, Farage launched his campaign in Clacton. He predicted the previous day that Reform UK would be the Official Opposition following the election as opposed to
576-513: A 18-week NHS waiting target within five years of a Labour government. Labour also pledged to double the number of NHS scanners in England. On the same day Starmer denied that Diane Abbott had been blocked as a candidate amid differing reports. Abbott had been elected as a Labour MP, but had been suspended from the parliamentary party for a brief period. There was controversy about further Labour Party candidate selections, with several candidates on
672-712: A component of His Majesty's Naval Service that was known as marine services. Marine services existed to support the operations of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. In the 1990s, marine services were put out to commercial tender by the Ministry of Defence Warship Support Agency (now absorbed into the Defence Equipment and Support organisation) and by 1996, all tugs, lifting craft, various tenders and management of HMNB Devonport , Portsmouth and Clyde were operated by Serco Denholm . By
768-575: A decrease in their popularity in opinion polling, with multiple party leaders and First Ministers ( Nicola Sturgeon , Humza Yousaf and John Swinney ) and the Operation Branchform police investigation. Sturgeon claimed occupational burnout was the reason for her resignation, while Yousaf resigned amid a government crisis following his termination of a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens . When Swinney assumed
864-417: A disproven claim that Labour would cost households £2000 more in tax. Keir Starmer used the word "change" as his campaign slogan and offered voters the chance to "turn the page" by voting Labour. The Liberal Democrat campaign led by Ed Davey was dominated by his campaign stunts, which were used to bring attention to campaign topics. When asked about these stunts, Davey said: "Politicians need to take
960-958: A distinctive livery or colour-scheme, namely: black hulls with white beading and buff-coloured upperworks. Below is a list of vessels previously operated by the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service. A number of the vessels listed below were later transferred over to Serco Marine Services who continue to provide marine services in support of the Royal Navy. British Government King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The government of
1056-523: A draft Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (Repeal) Bill, later retitled the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 . This entered into force on 24 March 2022. Thus, the prime minister can again request the monarch to dissolve Parliament and call an early election with 25 working days' notice. Section 4 of the Act provided: "If it has not been dissolved earlier, a Parliament dissolves at the beginning of
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#17327766589981152-574: A greater or lesser degree (for instance Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster or Lord Privy Seal ). The government is sometimes referred to by the metonym " Westminster " or " Whitehall ", as many of its offices are situated there. These metonyms are used especially by members of the Scottish Government , Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to differentiate their government from His Majesty's Government. The United Kingdom
1248-453: A green society, a wealth tax , a carbon tax, and a windfall tax on the profit of banks. The manifesto promises quicker access to NHS dentistry and GPs and reductions in the hospital waiting list. They would also reach net zero by 2040 and introduce rent controls. On 12 June, Conservative minister Grant Shapps said in a radio interview that voters should support the Conservatives so as to prevent Labour winning "a super-majority", meaning
1344-678: A large majority (the UK Parliament does not have any formal supermajority rules). This was interpreted by journalists as a possible and surprising admission of defeat. It paralleled social media advertising by the Conservatives that also focused on urging votes not to give Starmer a large majority. On 13 June, Starmer released the Labour Party manifesto Change , which focused on economic growth, planning system reforms, infrastructure, clean energy, healthcare, education, childcare, crime, and strengthening workers' rights. It pledged
1440-476: A meeting of the Privy Council on 15 November 2023 and came into force on 29 November 2023, meaning that the election was contested on these new boundaries. The election was contested under new constituency boundaries established by the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies . Consequently, media outlets reported seat gains and losses as compared to notional results . These are estimates of
1536-482: A member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, the convention is that ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, prime ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been appointed to the House of Lords. The government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain
1632-412: A new House of Commons, unless the prime minister advises the monarch to dissolve Parliament , in which case an election may be held sooner. After an election, the monarch selects as prime minister the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually by possessing a majority of MPs. Under the uncodified British constitution , executive authority lies with
1728-630: A new publicly owned energy company ( Great British Energy ) and National Wealth Fund , a ''Green Prosperity Plan", rebuilding the NHS and reducing patient waiting times, free breakfast clubs in primary schools, investing in green infrastructure, innovation, training and skills across the UK to boost economic growth, and renationalisation of the railway network ( Great British Railways ). It includes wealth creation and "pro-business and pro-worker" policies. The manifesto also pledged to give votes to 16-year olds, reform
1824-499: A qualified mental health counsellor, boosting preventative mental health services, transforming NHS dentistry, legislating for a progressive ban on smoking (a bill proposed by the Conservative government which had not passed before Parliament was prorogued ), banning junk food advertising to children, and banning energy drinks for under 16s. Labour released its plan for small business on 8 June, which included pledges to replace
1920-604: A substantial grant from the government, the Sovereign Support Grant , and Queen Elizabeth II's inheritance from her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , was exempt from inheritance tax . In addition to legislative powers, His Majesty's Government has substantial influence over local authorities and other bodies set up by it, through financial powers and grants. Many functions carried out by local authorities, such as paying out housing benefits and council tax benefits, are funded or substantially part-funded by
2016-680: A tutoring guarantee for children from low-income families), increased funding for public services, tax reforms, reaching net zero by 2045 (5 years before the current government target of 2050), investing in green infrastructure, innovation, training and skills across the UK to boost economic growth, and removing the two-child limit on tax and benefits . The Liberal Democrats also offered a lifelong skills grant, giving adults £5,000 to spend on improving their skills. The party wants electoral reform, and pledged to introduce proportional representation for electing MPs, and local councillors in England, and cap donations to political parties. Sunak released
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#17327766589982112-424: Is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the king or queen who is the head of state at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament. This constitutional state of affairs is the result of a long history of constraining and reducing the political power of the monarch, beginning with Magna Carta in 1215. Since
2208-497: Is already incorporated in the 2023 and 2024 budget . Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay released the Green Party's manifesto Real Hope. Real Change. on 12 June, which pledged more taxes on the highest earners, generating £70 billion a year to help tackle climate change and the NHS. They also pledged increased spending for public services, free personal care in England, renationalisation of railway, water and energy,
2304-603: Is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the Lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the responsible house . The prime minister is held to account during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) which provides an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject. There are also departmental questions when ministers answer questions relating to their specific departmental brief. Unlike PMQs, both
2400-451: The 1945 general election almost exactly seventy-nine years earlier. A total of 4,515 candidates were nominated, more than in any previous general election. General elections in the United Kingdom are organised using first-past-the-post voting . The Conservative Party, which won a majority at the 2019 general election, included pledges in its manifesto to remove the 15-year limit on voting for British citizens living abroad, and to introduce
2496-489: The 2024 United States presidential election instead. However, Farage later announced on 3 June that, contrary to his statement earlier in the campaign, he would stand for Parliament in Clacton , and that he had resumed leadership of Reform UK , taking over from Richard Tice , who remained the party's chairman. Farage also predicted that Labour would win the election, whilst stating the Conservatives were incapable of being
2592-409: The 59 in 2019 , with the following notional partisan composition of Scotland's parliamentary delegation. The Scottish National Party would have remained steady on 48 seats despite two of its constituencies being dissolved. The Scottish Conservatives ' seat count of six would likewise remained unchanged. Scottish Labour would have retained Edinburgh South , the sole constituency they won in 2019. Had
2688-739: The Chris Pincher scandal in July 2022, leading to Johnson's resignation . He resigned as an MP the following year, after an investigation unanimously found that he had lied to Parliament. Liz Truss won the resultant leadership election and succeeded Johnson in September. Truss announced large-scale tax cuts and borrowing in a mini-budget on 23 September, which was widely criticised and – after it rapidly led to financial instability – largely reversed. She resigned in October, making her
2784-483: The Greater London Authority disputed. Similarly, the monarch is immune from criminal prosecution and may only be sued with his permission (this is known as sovereign immunity ). The sovereign, by law, is not required to pay income tax, but Queen Elizabeth II voluntarily paid it from 1993 until the end of her reign in 2022, and also paid local rates voluntarily. However, the monarchy also received
2880-526: The Israel–Hamas war and appealing to the constituency's sizeable Muslim population. However, Alba lost both their seats and the Workers Party lost their sole seat of Rochdale after Galloway lost it to Labour's Paul Waugh , having only been an MP for 92 days. This table relates to the composition of the House of Commons at the 2019 general election and its dissolution on 30 May 2024 and summarises
2976-575: The Israel–Hamas war ; one to the Green Party of England and Wales ; and one to the Conservatives. The Conservative Party was reduced to 121 seats on a vote share of 23.7%, the worst result in its history. It lost 251 seats in total, including those of twelve Cabinet ministers and also South West Norfolk , the seat of the former prime minister Liz Truss . It also lost all its seats in Wales. The Conservatives' notional loss of 251 seats represents
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3072-683: The least proportional general election in British history according to the Gallagher index . Labour won 211 more seats than the previous general election in 2019 , but half a million fewer total votes. The party became the largest in England for the first time since 2005, in Scotland for the first time since 2010 , and retained its status as the largest party in Wales . It lost seven seats: five to independent candidates in seats with sizeable Muslim populations, largely attributed to its stance on
3168-410: The left and toward the political centre , and also emphasised the elimination of antisemitism within the party . Starmer's leading his party rightward in order to improve its electability has been widely compared to Tony Blair 's development of New Labour in the 1990s. The political turmoil from the Conservative scandals and government crises led to Labour having a significant lead in polling over
3264-436: The shortest-serving prime minister in British history . Rishi Sunak won the resultant leadership election unopposed to succeed Truss in October. During his premiership , Sunak was credited with improving the economy and stabilising national politics following the premierships of his predecessors, although many of his pledges and policy announcements ultimately went unfulfilled. He did not avert further unpopularity for
3360-523: The 2017 votes would have translated to seats under the 2018 boundaries suggested the changes would have been beneficial to the Conservatives and detrimental to Labour. In March 2020, Cabinet Office minister Chloe Smith confirmed that the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies would be based on retaining 650 seats. The previous relevant legislation was amended by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020 and
3456-417: The 2019 election . For example, the Conservatives would have won Wirral West and Leeds North West instead of the Labour Party, but Labour would have won Pudsey and Heywood & Middleton instead of the Conservatives. Westmorland and Lonsdale , the constituency represented by former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron , was notionally a Conservative seat. In Scotland , 57 MPs were elected, down from
3552-542: The 2019 general election occurred with the new boundaries in effect, the Scottish Liberal Democrats would have only won two seats ( Edinburgh West and Orkney and Shetland ), instead of the four they did win that year, as the expanded electorates in the other two would overcome their slender majorities. Under the new boundaries, Wales lost eight seats, electing 32 MPs instead of the 40 it elected in 2019 . Welsh Labour would have won 18 instead of
3648-562: The 22 MPs it elected in 2019, and the Welsh Conservatives 12 instead of 14. Due to the abolition and merging of rural constituencies in West Wales , Plaid Cymru would have only won two seats instead of four. Nonetheless, the boundary changes were expected to cause difficulty for the Conservatives as more pro-Labour areas were added to some of their safest seats. In Northern Ireland , the notional results are identical to
3744-459: The Conservative manifesto Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future. on 11 June, addressing the economy, taxes, welfare, expanding free childcare, education, healthcare, environment, energy, transport, community, and crime. They pledged to lower taxes, increase education and NHS spending, deliver 92,000 more nurses and 28,000 more doctors, introduce a new model of National Service , continue to expand apprenticeships and vocational training, simplify
3840-469: The Conservatives who, by the time of Sunak's election, had been in government for 12 years. Public opinion in favour of a change in government was reflected in the Conservatives' poor performance at the 2022 , 2023 and 2024 local elections . Keir Starmer won the Labour Party 's 2020 leadership election , succeeding Jeremy Corbyn . Under his leadership, Starmer repositioned the party away from
3936-671: The Conservatives, often by very wide margins, since late 2021, coinciding with the start of the Partygate scandal. Labour made gains in local elections: in the 2023 local elections, Labour gained more than 500 councillors and 22 councils, becoming the largest party in local government for the first time since 2002. Ed Davey , who previously served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition , won the Liberal Democrat 's 2020 leadership election , succeeding Jo Swinson , who lost her seat in
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4032-667: The Conservatives, saying that the Conservatives are incapable of being the Opposition due to "spending most of the last five years fighting each other rather than fighting for the interests of this country". On 6 June, the Green Party announced plans to invest an extra £50 billion a year for the NHS by raising taxes on the top 1% of earners. The Conservatives announced a policy on expanding child benefit for higher-earners. Labour also announced communities will be given powers to transform derelict areas into parks and green spaces. Labour's countryside protection plan would also include
4128-511: The Crown, who may use them without having to obtain the consent of Parliament. The prime minister also has weekly meetings with the monarch. What is said in these meetings is strictly private; however, they generally involve government and political matters which the monarch has a "right and a duty" to comment on. Such comments are non-binding however and the King must ultimately abide by decisions of
4224-704: The D-Day commemorations, and said that Sunak "has to answer for his actions". Sunak apologised the next day and apologised again on 10 June. He made a third apology on 12 June. Farage was among those critical of Sunak over his leaving the D-Day events, saying on 7 June that Sunak did not understand "our culture". Conservative and Labour politicians criticised these words as being a racist attack on Sunak, which Farage denied. On 10 June, Labour pledged 100,000 new childcare places and more than 3,000 new nurseries as part of its childcare plan. It also announced its Child Health Action Plan, which included providing every school with
4320-621: The European Parliament are immune from prosecution in EU states under any circumstance. As a consequence, neither EU bodies nor diplomats have to pay taxes, since it would not be possible to prosecute them for tax evasion. When the UK was a member of the EU, this caused a dispute when the US ambassador to the UK claimed that London's congestion charge was a tax, and not a charge (despite the name), and therefore he did not have to pay it—a claim
4416-567: The Green Party of England and Wales won four seats; both parties achieved their best parliamentary results in history. In Wales Plaid Cymru won four seats. In Scotland the Scottish National Party was reduced from forty-eight seats to nine, and lost its status as the third-largest party in the Commons. In Northern Ireland, which has a distinct set of political parties , Sinn Féin retained its seven seats and therefore became
4512-469: The King to call a general election for 4 July 2024, surprising his own MPs. Though Sunak had the option to wait until December 2024 to call the election, he said that he decided on the date because he believed that the economy was improving, and that "falling inflation and net migration figures would reinforce the Conservative Party 's election message of 'sticking to the plan'". The calling of
4608-682: The Labour Party campaign in Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium . On 24 May, the Conservatives proposed setting up a Royal Commission to consider a form of mandatory national service. It would be made up of two streams for 18-year-olds to choose from, either 'community volunteering' by volunteering with organisations such as the NHS, fire service, ambulance, search and rescue, and critical local infrastructure, or 'military training' in areas like logistics and cyber security. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced on 24 May he
4704-757: The Official Opposition due to having spent "much of the last five years fighting each other rather than fighting for the interests of this country." Davey released the Liberal Democrat campaign in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire . The SNP campaign launch the same day was overshadowed over a dispute around leader John Swinney 's support for Michael Matheson and developments in Operation Branchform. Starmer launched
4800-735: The Secretary of State on 5 September 2018 and made their reports public a week later. However, the proposals were never put forward for approval before the calling of the general election held on 12 December 2019, and in December 2020 the reviews were formally abandoned under the Schedule to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020. A projection by psephologists Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher of how
4896-516: The United Kingdom , officially His Majesty's Government , abbreviated to HM Government , is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . The government is led by the prime minister (currently Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024) who selects all the other ministers . The country has had a Labour government since 2024. The prime minister Keir Starmer and his most senior ministers belong to
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#17327766589984992-635: The actual results of the 2019 general election in Northern Ireland . Labour entered the election with a large lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls , and the potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during the campaign period. The economy , healthcare , education , infrastructure development, environment, housing, energy , and immigration , and standards in public office were main campaign topics. The Conservative campaign led by Rishi Sunak focused primarily on attacks towards Labour over alleged tax plans including
5088-440: The cabinet ministers for the department and junior ministers within the department may answer on behalf of the government, depending on the topic of the question. During debates on legislation proposed by the government, ministers—usually with departmental responsibility for the bill —will lead the debate for the government and respond to points made by MPs or Lords. Committees of both the House of Commons and House of Lords hold
5184-428: The campaign period. The economy , healthcare , education , infrastructure development, environment, housing , energy , immigration , and standards in public office were main campaign topics. There was relatively little discussion of Brexit , which was a major issue during the 2019 general election . This general election was the first in which photo identification was required to vote in person in Great Britain,
5280-568: The central government. 2024 United Kingdom general election Rishi Sunak Conservative Keir Starmer Labour The 2024 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 4 July 2024, to elect 650 members of Parliament to the House of Commons , the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The opposition Labour Party , led by Keir Starmer , defeated the governing Conservative Party , led by Rishi Sunak , in
5376-580: The changes in party affiliation that took place during the 2019–2024 Parliament. Originally the next election was scheduled to take place on 2 May 2024 under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . At the 2019 general election, in which the Conservatives won a majority of 80 seats, the party's manifesto contained a commitment to repeal the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. In December 2020, the government duly published
5472-411: The charity commissions) are legally more or less independent of the government, and government powers are legally limited to those retained by the Crown under common law or granted and limited by act of Parliament. Both substantive and procedural limitations are enforceable in the courts by judicial review . Nevertheless, magistrates and mayors can still be arrested and put on trial for corruption, and
5568-516: The concerns and interests of voters seriously but I'm not sure they need to take themselves seriously all the time and I'm quite happy to have some fun." Party manifesto and fiscal spending plans were independently analysed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies and their environmental policies were assessed by Friends of the Earth . On the afternoon of 22 May 2024, Sunak announced that he had asked
5664-436: The confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets) and to pass primary legislation . By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a general election is held. The support of the Lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay,
5760-444: The current business rates system and to tackle the skill shortage by creating a new public body, Skills England . They also pledged to revitalise Britain's high streets and a new trade strategy. The Liberal Democrat manifesto For a Fair Deal was released on 10 June, which included commitments on free personal care in England, investment in the NHS including more GPs , increased funding for education and childcare (including
5856-513: The date of the general election. This led to the song reaching number two on UK's iTunes Charts . At the beginning of the campaign, Labour had a significant lead in polling over the Conservatives. Polling also showed Labour doing well against the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Scotland. When visiting Windermere , Davey fell off a paddleboard , while campaigning to highlight the issue of sewage discharges into rivers and lakes. A couple of days later, Davey won media attention when going down
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#17327766589985952-477: The day that is the fifth anniversary of the day on which it first met". The Electoral Commission confirmed that the 2019 Parliament would, therefore, have to be dissolved, at the latest, by 17 December 2024, and that the next general election had to take place no later than 28 January 2025. With no election date fixed in law, there was speculation as to when the prime minister , Rishi Sunak , would call an election. On 18 December 2023, Sunak told journalists that
6048-404: The different rates of population growth. North West England and North East England lost two seats each, whereas South East England gained seven and South West England gained three. Based on historical voting patterns, this was expected to help the Conservatives. Using the new boundaries, different parties would have won several constituencies with unchanged names but changed boundaries from
6144-429: The election was welcomed by all major parties. Sunak's announcement took place during heavy rain at a lectern outside 10 Downing Street , without the use of any shelter from the rain. The D:Ream song " Things Can Only Get Better " (previously used by the Labour Party in its successful 1997 general election campaign) was being played loudly in the background by the political activist Steve Bray as Sunak announced
6240-480: The election would be held on 4 July with the dissolution of the Parliament on 30 May. The deadline for candidate nominations was 7 June 2024, with political campaigning for four weeks until polling day on 4 July. On the day of the election, polling stations across the country were open from 7 am, and closed at 10 pm. The date chosen for the 2024 general election made it the first to be held in July since
6336-438: The election would take place in 2024 rather than January 2025. On 4 January, he first suggested the general election would probably be in the second half of 2024. Throughout 2024, political commentators and MPs expected the election to be held in the autumn. On 22 May 2024, following much speculation through the day (including being asked about it by Stephen Flynn at Prime Minister's Questions ), Sunak officially announced
6432-409: The exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords was Lord Denman , who served for one month in 1834. The British monarch is the head of state and the sovereign , but not the head of government . The monarch takes little direct part in governing the country and remains neutral in political affairs. However, the authority of the state that is vested in the sovereign, known as the Crown , remains
6528-405: The first fought using the new constituency boundaries implemented following the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies , and the first called under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 . This was also the first election to be held under the reign of King Charles III . The Conservative Party under Boris Johnson won a large majority at the 2019 general election and
6624-590: The four boundary commissions formally launched their 2023 reviews on 5 January 2021. They were required to issue their final reports prior to 1 July 2023. Once the reports had been laid before Parliament, Orders in Council giving effect to the final proposals had to be made within four months, unless "there are exceptional circumstances". Prior to the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 2020, boundary changes could not be implemented until they were approved by both Houses of Parliament. The boundary changes were approved at
6720-532: The government has powers to insert commissioners into a local authority to oversee its work, and to issue directives that must be obeyed by the local authority if the local authority is not abiding by its statutory obligations. By contrast, as in European Union (EU) member states, EU officials cannot be prosecuted for any actions carried out in pursuit of their official duties, and foreign country diplomats (though not their employees) and foreign members of
6816-766: The government on the statement. When the government instead chooses to make announcements first outside Parliament, it is often the subject of significant criticism from MPs and the speaker of the House of Commons . The prime minister is based at 10 Downing Street in Westminster , London. Cabinet meetings also take place here. Most government departments have their headquarters nearby in Whitehall . The government's powers include general executive and statutory powers , delegated legislation , and numerous powers of appointment and patronage. However, some powerful officials and bodies, (e.g. HM judges, local authorities , and
6912-485: The government to account, scrutinise its work and examine in detail proposals for legislation. Ministers appear before committees to give evidence and answer questions. Government ministers are also required by convention and the Ministerial Code , when Parliament is sitting, to make major statements regarding government policy or issues of national importance to Parliament. This allows MPs or Lords to question
7008-464: The government. Royal prerogative powers include, but are not limited to, the following: While no formal documents set out the prerogatives, the government published the above list in October 2003 to increase transparency, as some of the powers exercised in the name of the monarch are part of the royal prerogative . However, the complete extent of the royal prerogative powers has never been fully set out, as many of them originated in ancient custom and
7104-525: The highest decrease for any party at a single election in British history, narrowly surpassing 1906 , and the corresponding Labour gain of 211 is the largest since 1945 . The combined Labour and Conservative vote share was 57.4%, the lowest since the December 1910 general election . Smaller parties took a record 42.6% of the vote in the election: the Liberal Democrats , led by Ed Davey , made
7200-498: The hot-spot policing programme to more areas, and more town regeneration projects. The Conservatives also unveiled plans for fly-tippers to get points on their driving licences and other new measures to protect the environment. On 2 June, Labour pledged to reduce record high legal immigration to the United Kingdom by improving training for British workers. Net migration to the UK was 685,000 in 2023. Labour also focused on national security, with Starmer reaffirming his commitment to
7296-559: The independent unionist Alex Easton won North Down . Many of the record number of newly-elected independent MPs, including the former leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn , formed the Independent Alliance group in parliament. Labour entered the election with a large lead over the Conservatives in opinion polls , and the potential scale of the party's victory was a topic of discussion during
7392-548: The largest party; this was the first election in which an Irish nationalist party won the most seats in Northern Ireland. The Democratic Unionist Party won five seats, a reduction from eight at the 2019 general election . The Social Democratic and Labour Party won two seats, and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland , the Ulster Unionist Party and Traditional Unionist Voice won one seat each, and
7488-453: The leadership after being elected unopposed to succeed Yousaf, the SNP had been in government for 17 years. Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay took over leadership of the Green Party of England and Wales from Siân Berry and Jonathan Bartley in 2021. Rhun ap Iorwerth took over leadership of Plaid Cymru . The Brexit Party rebranded as Reform UK , and was initially led by Richard Tice in
7584-435: The left of the party being excluded. Abbott said she had been barred from standing as a Labour Party candidate at the election, but Starmer later said she would be "free" to stand as a Labour candidate. On 30 May, both the Conservatives and Labour ruled out any rise in value-added tax . The SNPs Màiri McAllan claimed that only the SNP offered Scotland a route back into the European Union , making Pro-Europeanism part of
7680-487: The marginal constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale , highlighting the release of sewage in waterways. He pledged to abolish Ofwat and introduce a new water regulator to tackle the situation, in addition to proposing a ban on bonuses for chief executives of water companies. Starmer was in West Sussex and emphasised his small town roots in his first big campaign speech. On 29 May, Labour's Wes Streeting promised
7776-465: The mid 2000s, it was decided that the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service would no longer provide marine services to HM Naval Service, and it would instead be delivered under a Private Finance Initiative instead. Serco were quickly declared preferred bidders and the RMAS was disbanded on 31 March 2008. RMAS vessels carried the ship prefix "RMAS" and auxiliary (A) or yard (Y) pennant numbers . They also had
7872-430: The most significant gains, of seventy-two seats, with a total of 3.5 million votes; like Labour, this represented a decline in their vote from 2019. It was the party's best-ever result and made it the third-largest party in the Commons, a status it had previously held but lost at the 2015 general election . Reform UK achieved the third-highest vote share at 14.3%, with over four million votes, which won it five seats, and
7968-512: The new government passed the Brexit withdrawal agreement . The COVID-19 pandemic saw the government institute public-health restrictions , including limitations on social interaction, that Johnson and some of his staff were later found to have broken . The resulting political scandal ( Partygate ), one of many in a string of controversies that characterised Johnson's premiership , damaged his personal reputation. The situation escalated with
8064-808: The party's campaign. Reform UK proposed an immigration tax on British firms who employ foreign workers . Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay launched the Green Party of England and Wales campaign in Bristol. Rhun ap Iorwerth launched the Plaid Cymru campaign in Bangor . George Galloway launched the Workers Party of Britain campaign in Ashton-under-Lyne . On 31 May, the Conservatives announced new "pride in places" pledges, including new rules to tackle anti-social behaviour, rolling out
8160-433: The period of absolute monarchy , or were modified by later constitutional practice. As of 2019, there are around 120 government ministers supported by 560,000 civil servants and other staff working in the 24 ministerial departments and their executive agencies . There are also an additional 20 non-ministerial departments with a range of further responsibilities. In theory, a government minister does not have to be
8256-548: The permanent leader in May. New political parties who made their campaign debuts in this election included the Alba Party , led by former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond , and the Workers Party of Britain , led by anti-war activist George Galloway , who won the 2024 Rochdale by-election in a political upset three months before the election was called – advertising himself as a protest candidate against Labour's stance on
8352-511: The planning system to speed up infrastructure projects (digital, transport and energy), and to treble Britain's offshore wind capacity and support solar energy. The manifesto includes a pledge to abolish Stamp Duty on homes worth up to £425,000 for first time buyers and expand the Help to Buy scheme. The Conservatives also pledged a recruitment of 8,000 new police officers and a rollout of facial recognition technology . Much of what has been proposed
8448-582: The planting new national forests, taskforces for tree-planting and flood resilience, new river pathways, and a commitment to revive nature. Green spaces would be a requirement in the development of new housing and town plans. Both Sunak and Starmer attended D-Day commemorations in Normandy on 6 June, the 80th anniversary of Operation Neptune . Sunak was widely criticised for leaving events early to do an interview with ITV, including by veterans. Starmer met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and King Charles III during
8544-477: The previous general election. Davey prioritised defeating the Conservatives and ruled out working with them following the election. The Liberal Democrats made gains in local elections: in the 2024 local elections, the Liberal Democrats finished second for the first time in a local election cycle since 2009. Like the Conservatives, the Scottish National Party (SNP) suffered political turmoil and saw
8640-476: The results if all votes cast in 2019 were unchanged, but regrouped by the new constituency boundaries. Since notional results in the vote counts at parliamentary elections in the UK do not yield figures at any level more specific than that of the whole constituency, it is only possible to estimate the notional results, with the assistance of local election results. In England , seats were redistributed towards Southern England , away from Northern England , due to
8736-433: The source of executive power exercised by the government. In addition to explicit statutory authority , the Crown also possesses a body of powers in certain matters collectively known as the royal prerogative . These powers range from the authority to issue or withdraw passports to declarations of war. By long-standing convention, most of these powers are delegated from the sovereign to various ministers or other officers of
8832-545: The sovereign, although this authority is exercised only after receiving the advice of the Privy Council . The prime minister, the House of Lords, the Leader of the Opposition, and the police and military high command serve as members and advisers of the monarch on the Privy Council. In most cases the cabinet exercise power directly as leaders of the government departments , though some Cabinet positions are sinecures to
8928-400: The start of Edward VII 's reign in 1901, by convention, the prime minister has been an elected member of Parliament (MP) and thus answerable to the House of Commons, although there were two weeks in 1963 when Alec Douglas-Home was first a member of the House of Lords and then of neither house. A similar convention applies to the position of chancellor of the exchequer . The last chancellor of
9024-530: The supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet . Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House in which they sit; they make statements in that House and take questions from members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the elected House of Commons rather than the House of Lords . The government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation , and general elections are held every five years (at most) to elect
9120-756: The years preceding the election before Nigel Farage resumed leadership during the election campaign. Edwin Poots took over as the Democratic Unionist Party leader in May 2021 but lasted only 20 days. He was replaced by Jeffrey Donaldson , who resigned in March 2024 after being arrested on charges relating to historical sex offences. He appeared in court on 3 July, the day before polling day, to face additional sex offence charges. Gavin Robinson initially took over as interim leader, and then became
9216-474: Was running as an independent in Islington North against a Labour candidate, and was thus expelled from the party. On 27 May, Starmer made a keynote speech on security and other issues. On 28 May, the Conservatives pledged a "Triple Lock Plus" where the personal income tax allowance for pensioners would always stay higher than the state pension. Davey went paddleboarding on Lake Windermere in
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