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UK Visas and Immigration

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UK Visas and Immigration ( UKVI ) is a division of the Home Office responsible for the United Kingdom's visa system. It was formed in 2013 from the section of the UK Border Agency that had administered the visa system.

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123-596: The then Home Secretary, Theresa May , announced the abolition of the UK Border Agency on 26 March 2013, with the intention that its work would be returned to the Home Office. The agency's executive agency status was removed, and internally it was split, with one division responsible for the visa system and the other for immigration enforcement. May says UKBA had a "closed, secretive, and defensive culture" that contributed to immense backlogs. The intention of

246-484: A by-election six months earlier. They failed to retain their other seat gained in a by-election , Rochester and Strood , and the party's leader, Nigel Farage , ran in South Thanet but narrowly fell short of winning the seat. The Green Party of England and Wales won its highest ever vote share of 3.8 per cent, and their only MP, Caroline Lucas , retained her seat, Brighton Pavilion . In Northern Ireland ,

369-565: A hung parliament with the number of Conservative seats reduced to 317 from 330, despite the highest vote share since 1983 and the largest increase in electoral support enjoyed by a governing party since 1832. The loss of an overall majority prompted her to enter a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Following the 2017 election, May's premiership continued to be dominated by Brexit, in particular by her government's negotiations with

492-617: A really hostile environment for illegal migration". May rejected the European Union's proposal of compulsory refugee quotas . She said that it was important to help people living in war-zone regions and refugee camps but "not the ones who are strong and rich enough to come to Europe". In May 2016, The Daily Telegraph reported that she had tried to save £4m by rejecting an intelligence project to use aircraft surveillance to detect illegal immigrant boats. In June 2012, May announced that new restrictions would be introduced to reduce

615-516: A BBC article and others. Labour, in reaction, produced ever stronger denials that they would co-operate with the SNP after the election. The Conservatives and Lib Dems both also rejected the idea of a coalition with the SNP. This was particularly notable for Labour, to whom the SNP had previously offered support: their manifesto stated that "the SNP will never put the Tories into power. Instead, if there

738-506: A Caribbean background trust the police. That is simply not sustainable ... I will soon publish proposals to strengthen the protections available to whistleblowers in the police. I am creating a new criminal offence of police corruption. And I am determined that the use of stop and search must come down, become more targeted and lead to more arrests. On 9 December 2010, in the wake of violent student demonstrations in central London against increases to higher-education tuition fees , May praised

861-524: A car accident, and her mother of multiple sclerosis the following year. May later stated she was "sorry they [her parents] never saw me elected as a Member of Parliament". May initially attended Heythrop Primary School, a state school in Heythrop, followed by St. Juliana's Convent School for Girls, a Roman Catholic independent school in Begbroke , which closed in 1984. At the age of 13, May won

984-560: A chartered private jet. To strengthen the Home Office's tough stance, an "end of life" plan was reportedly offered to Muazu, who was one of a number of hunger strikers at the Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre . In July 2013, Abu Qatada , a radical cleric arrested in 2002, was deported to Jordan after a decade-long battle that had cost the nation £1.7 million in legal fees, and several prior Home Secretaries had not resolved. The deportation

1107-463: A future Conservative Secretary of State for Education under John Major . At St Hugh's, May's contemporaries included the barrister Alicia Collinson, wife of May's future deputy Damian Green ; businesswoman Louise Patten ; and Emma Hood, wife of former Oxford University Vice-Chancellor John Hood . May worked at a bakery on Saturdays to earn pocket money and was a "tall, fashion-conscious young woman who from an early age spoke of her ambition to be

1230-644: A general election to be held at a tactically convenient time within the final two years of a Parliament's lifespan, to maximise the chance of an electoral victory for their party. Prior to the 2010 general election, Labour and the Liberal Democrats pledged to introduce fixed-term elections . As part of the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement, the Cameron ministry agreed to support legislation for fixed-term Parliaments, with

1353-427: A leader who is doing an enormous amount to change a party which has suffered two landslide defeats". She admitted that constituency selection committees seemed to prefer candidates they would "be happy to have a drink with on a Sunday morning", continuing to say, "At the last general election 38 new Tory MPs were elected. Of that total, only one was a woman and none was from an ethnic minority. Is that fair? Is one half of

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1476-460: A legal agreement to free an Algerian from a UK Immigration Detention Centre. As she eventually allowed the prisoner to be freed, May avoided further sanctions including fines or imprisonment. May responded to a Supreme Court decision in November 2013 to overturn her predecessor Jacqui Smith 's revocation of Iraqi-born terror suspect Al Jedda's British citizenship by ordering it to be revoked for

1599-604: A member of William Hague 's front-bench Opposition team, as Shadow Spokesman for Schools, Disabled People and Women (1998–1999). She became the first of the 1997 MPs to enter the Shadow Cabinet when in 1999 she was appointed Shadow Education and Employment Secretary. After the 2001 election the new Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith kept her in the Shadow Cabinet, moving her to the Transport portfolio. May

1722-563: A mental hospital or a fugitive on the date of the election were permitted to vote. In British general elections, voting takes place in all constituencies in the United Kingdom to elect Members of Parliament to the House of Commons , the lower house of Parliament in the UK. Each constituency elects one MP using the first-past-the-post voting system . If one party obtains a majority (326) of

1845-532: A net flow of 298,000 migrants to the UK in the 12 months to September 2014—up from 210,000 in the previous year." In total, 624,000 people migrated to the UK in the year ending September 2014 and 327,000 left in the same period. Statistics showed "significant increases in migration among both non-EU citizens—up 49,000 to 292,000—and EU citizens, which rose by 43,000 to 251,000." In May 2012 she told The Daily Telegraph of her intention "to create here in Britain

1968-401: A new seat which was created from parts of the safe seats of Windsor and Maidenhead and Wokingham . She was elected comfortably with 25,344 votes (49.8%), almost double the total of second-placed Andrew Terence Ketteringham of the Liberal Democrats, who took 13,363 votes (26.3%). Despite this, her party suffered their worst defeat in over 150 years. Having entered Parliament , May became

2091-517: A nine-year domination of Scottish Westminster seats. Charles Kennedy , who served as the leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, made his last public appearance during the election campaign, in which he lost his seat; he died on 1 June 2015. Notable MPs who retired at this election included former prime minister and Labour leader Gordon Brown , former Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling , former leader of

2214-604: A package of reforms to policing in England and Wales in the House of Commons . The previous Labour Government's central crime agency, Soca (Serious Organised Crime Agency) , was to be replaced by a new National Crime Agency . In common with the Conservative Party 2010 general election manifesto's flagship proposal for a " Big Society " based on voluntary action, May also proposed increasing the role of civilian "reservists" for crime control. The reforms were rejected by

2337-626: A place at the former Holton Park Girls' Grammar School, a state school in Wheatley . During her time as a pupil, the Oxfordshire education system was reorganised, and the school became the new Wheatley Park Comprehensive School . May attended the University of Oxford , read geography at St Hugh's College , and graduated with a second class BA degree in 1977. She was taught political geography at St Hugh's by John Patten, Baron Patten ,

2460-622: A referendum. The referendum was held in May 2011 and resulted in the retention of the existing voting system. Before the previous general election the Liberal Democrats had pledged to change the voting system, and the Labour Party had pledged to hold a referendum on any such change. The Conservatives, however, promised to keep the first-past-the-post system, but to reduce the number of constituencies to 600. Liberal Democrats' plan

2583-540: A report into drug policy commissioned by the Home Office. The Home Office denied that its officials had considered this as part of their strategy. Baker cited difficulties in working with May as the reason for his resignation from the Home Office in the run-up to the 2015 general election. In 2010, May promised to bring the level of net migration down to less than 100,000. The Independent reported in February 2015, "The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced

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2706-484: A rise in multi-party politics, with increased support for UKIP, the SNP and the Greens. Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice – stability and strong Government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband: https://facebook.com/DavidCameronOfficial/posts/979082725449379 The question of what the different parties would do in the likely event of an inconclusive result dominated much of the campaign. Smaller parties focused on

2829-486: A second referendum and the Conservative manifesto stated that "the question of Scotland's place in the United Kingdom is now settled". In the run-up to the election, David Cameron coined the phrase "Carlisle principle" for the idea that checks and balances are required to ensure that devolution to Scotland has no adverse effects on other parts of the United Kingdom. The phrase references a fear that Carlisle , being

2952-424: A second time, making him the first person to be stripped twice of British citizenship. May was accused by Lord Roberts of Llandudno of being willing to allow someone to die "to score a political point" over the deportation of mentally ill Nigerian man Isa Muazu. According to Muazu's solicitor, May had arranged for the asylum seeker, who was said to be "near death" after a 100-day hunger strike, to be deported by

3075-548: A speech to the Police Federation , in which she criticised aspects of the culture of the police force. In the speech, she said: When you remember the list of recent revelations about police misconduct, it is not enough to mouth platitudes about "a few bad apples ". The problem might lie with a minority of officers, but it is still a significant problem and a problem that needs to be addressed ... according to one survey carried out recently, only 42% of black people from

3198-697: A year in case police requested access to the records while investigating a crime. The Liberal Democrats had blocked the first attempt , but after the Conservative Party obtained a majority in the 2015 general election May announced a new Draft Investigatory Powers Bill similar to the Draft Communications Data Bill, although with more limited powers and additional oversight. Speaking at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) conference in June 2010, May announced radical cuts to

3321-463: Is an anti-Tory majority after the election, we will offer to work with other parties to keep the Tories out". SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon later confirmed in the Scottish leaders' debate on STV that she was prepared to "help make Ed Miliband prime minister". However, on 26 April, Miliband ruled out a confidence and supply arrangement with the SNP too. Miliband's comments suggested to many that he

3444-485: Is the current director for visas and citizenship. UKVI operates the UK visa system, managing applications from foreign nationals seeking to visit or work in the UK and also considering applications from businesses and educational institutions seeking to become sponsors for foreign nationals. It also considers applications from foreign nationals seeking protection or British citizenship and manages appeals from those who have been denied visas. The UKVI's role has widened in

3567-434: Is the only child of Zaidee Mary (née Barnes; 1928–1982) and Hubert Brasier (1917–1981). Her father was a Church of England clergyman (and an Anglo-Catholic ) who was chaplain of an Eastbourne hospital. He later became vicar of Enstone with Heythrop and finally of St Mary's at Wheatley, to the east of Oxford. May's mother was a supporter of the Conservative Party. Her father died in 1981, from injuries sustained in

3690-401: The 1994 Barking by-election , which was prompted by the death of Labour MP Jo Richardson . The seat had been continuously held by Labour since it was created in 1945, and Labour candidate Margaret Hodge was expected to win easily, which she did. May placed a distant third. Around 18 months ahead of the 1997 general election , May was selected as the Conservative candidate for Maidenhead ,

3813-577: The 2016 referendum . Also after the referendum, she was elected Prime Minister unopposed, succeeding David Cameron . As Prime Minister, May began the process of withdrawing the UK from the EU, triggering Article 50 in March 2017. In April, she announced a snap general election , with the aim of strengthening her hand in Brexit negotiations and highlighting her " strong and stable " leadership. This resulted in

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3936-465: The Bank of England and the Association for Payment Clearing Services . She also served as a councillor on Merton London Borough Council . After two unsuccessful attempts to be elected to the House of Commons , she was elected MP for Maidenhead at the 1997 general election . From 1999 to 2010, May held several roles in shadow cabinets and was Chair of the Conservative Party from 2002 to 2003. Following

4059-713: The Conservative Party planned for the number of constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600, through the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies under the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 , the review of constituencies and reduction in seats was delayed by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 . The next boundary review was set to take place in 2018, so

4182-615: The Democratic Unionist Party remained the largest party, the Ulster Unionist Party returned to the Commons with two seats after a five-year absence, and the Alliance Party lost its only seat of Belfast East , represented by Naomi Long for the party, despite an increase in their vote share. Following the election, Miliband and Clegg resigned their leaderships. Jeremy Corbyn succeeded Miliband as Leader of

4305-571: The Independent Police Complaints Commission ruling that there was no new evidence to warrant further investigation, after discussions with Doreen Lawrence , May commissioned Mark Ellison to review Scotland Yard's investigations into alleged police corruption. The report was presented to Parliament by May on 6 March 2014. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe , Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said

4428-507: The Liberal Democrats , Nick Clegg , warned against a potential 'Blukip' coalition (Conservatives, UKIP and by extension the DUP) with a spoof website highlighting imaginary policies from this prospective coalition, such as reinstating the death penalty , scrapping all benefits for under-25s and charging for hospital visits. Additionally, issues were raised about the continued existence of the BBC , as

4551-535: The Police Federation , implemented a harder line on drugs policy and further restricted immigration . She oversaw the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners , the deportation of Abu Qatada and the creation of the College of Policing and the National Crime Agency . Although she supported the remain campaign , May supported Brexit following the victory of the leave campaign at

4674-616: The Scottish National Party (SNP) who enjoyed a huge surge, winning 56 of the 59 Scottish seats, becoming the third-largest party in the House of Commons and the largest party in Scotland, knocking Labour from the status which it had held since 1964 . The Liberal Democrats , junior coalition partners led by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg , suffered heavy losses, losing 49 of their 57 seats. Returning just eight MPs, it

4797-774: The Traditional Unionist Voice , who won no seats at this election but had one member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Conservatives and UKIP (both are major parties in the rest of the UK, but are minor parties here). Smaller parties in Scotland include the Scottish Libertarian Party , but none of the smaller parties make much of an impact in general elections in Scotland. Wales has a number of smaller parties which, again, do not tend to make much impact in

4920-534: The formation of the coalition government after the 2010 general election on 12 May 2010, May was appointed Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities by Prime Minister David Cameron as part of his first Cabinet. She became the fourth woman to hold one of the British Great Offices of State , after Margaret Thatcher ( Prime Minister ), Margaret Beckett ( Foreign Secretary ) and Jacqui Smith (Home Secretary). As Home Secretary, May

5043-478: The mayor of London , returned to Parliament as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip . It was the first of three general elections to be held under the rules of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . Local elections took place in most areas of England on the same day and is to date the most recent general election to coincide with local elections. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 led to

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5166-457: The widespread rioting in summer 2011 and said: "the way we police in Britain is not through use of water cannon. The way we police in Britain is through consent of communities." May said: "I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham... Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated, and the Metropolitan Police have my full support in restoring order." In the aftermath of

5289-478: The 100 days before Parliament's dissolution on 30 March: £30,700, plus a per-voter allowance of 9p in county constituencies and 6p in borough seats. An additional voter allowance of more than £8,700 is available after the dissolution of Parliament. In total, parties spent £31.1m in the 2010 general election, of which the Conservative Party spent 53%, the Labour Party spent 25% and the Liberal Democrats 15%. This

5412-581: The 2015 general election was contested using the same constituencies and boundaries as in 2010. Of the 650 constituencies, 533 were in England, 59 were in Scotland, 40 were in Wales and 18 were in Northern Ireland. In addition, the 2011 Act mandated a referendum in 2011 on changing from the first-past-the-post voting system to an alternative vote system for general elections. The Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government agreed to holding

5535-417: The 650 seats and 36.9 per cent of the vote, giving them a small overall majority. The opposition Labour Party , led by Ed Miliband , saw a small increase in its share of the vote to 30.4 per cent, but it won 26 fewer seats than in 2010, giving them 232 MPs. This was the fewest seats the party had won since the 1987 general election , when it had 229 MPs returned. Labour lost significant ground in Scotland to

5658-491: The 650 seats, then that party is entitled to form the government . If no party has a majority, then there is what is known as a hung parliament . In this case, the options for forming the Government are either a minority government (where one party governs alone despite not having the majority of the seats) or a coalition government (where one party governs alongside party in order to get a majority of seats). Although

5781-633: The ASBO's role as the flagship crime control policy legislation under Labour. Former Labour Home Secretaries David Blunkett (who introduced ASBOs) and Alan Johnson expressed their disapproval of the proposals. In July 2013, May decided to ban the stimulant khat , against the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). The council reached the conclusion that there was "insufficient evidence" it caused health problems. Explaining

5904-430: The Conservatives, with several parties, notably the SNP, having committed to preventing a Conservative government. The Conservatives claimed a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party would result in a "coalition of chaos", and David Cameron tweeted that the electoral choice was one between " stable and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband ". Due to the substantial political turmoil in Britain in

6027-528: The DUP joining UKIP in this arrangement. UKIP and the DUP said they would work together in Parliament. The DUP welcomed the possibility of a hung parliament and the influence that this would bring them. The party's deputy leader, Nigel Dodds , said they could work with the Conservatives or Labour, but that they were "not interested in a full-blown coalition government". Their leader, Peter Robinson , said that

6150-743: The DUP would not stand candidates in Fermanagh and South Tyrone (where Michelle Gildernew , the Sinn Féin candidate, won by only four votes in 2010) and in Newry and Armagh . In return the UUP would stand aside in Belfast East and Belfast North . The SDLP rejected a similar pact suggested by Sinn Féin to try to ensure that an agreed nationalist would win that constituency. The DUP also called on voters in Scotland to support whichever pro-Union candidate

6273-443: The DUP would talk first to whichever party wins the most seats. The DUP said they wanted, for their support, a commitment to 2% defence spending, a referendum on EU membership, and a reversal of the under-occupation penalty . They opposed the SNP being involved in government. The UUP also indicated that they would not work with the SNP if it wanted another independence referendum in Scotland. The Deputy Prime Minister and leader of

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6396-672: The EU, adhering to the Chequers plan , which led to a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement . Other events that occurred during May's premiership were terrorist attacks in Westminster , Manchester Arena and London Bridge , the Grenfell Tower fire and Windrush scandal . Her government announced the NHS Long Term Plan and was responsible for negotiating and approving the near-entirety of the UK's terms of exit from

6519-611: The EU. May was also a prominent figure in leading the international condemnation and response to Russia over the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March 2018. May survived two votes of no confidence in December 2018 and in January 2019 , but after versions of her draft withdrawal agreement were rejected by Parliament three times and her party's poor performance in the 2019 European Parliament election , she left office in July and

6642-553: The English town closest to the Scottish border, could be affected economically by preferential tax rates in Scotland . The deficit, who was responsible for it and plans to deal with it were a major theme of the campaign. While some smaller parties opposed austerity, the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Greens all supported some further cuts, albeit to different extents. Conservative campaigning sought to blame

6765-482: The European Union by the end of 2017". Labour did not support this, but did commit to an EU membership referendum if any further powers were transferred to the European Union. The Lib Dems also supported the Labour position, but explicitly supported the UK's continuing membership of the EU. The election was the first following the 2014 Scottish independence referendum . None of the three major party manifestos supported

6888-403: The Home Office budget, likely to lead to a reduction in police numbers. In July 2010, May presented the House of Commons with proposals for a fundamental review of the previous Labour government's security and counter-terrorism legislation, including "stop and search" powers, and her intention to review the 28-day limit on detaining terrorist suspects without charge. In July 2010, May announced

7011-471: The House of Commons in December 2005 and as Shadow Minister for Women and Equality in July 2007. In January 2009, May was made Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions . On 6 May 2010, May was re-elected MP for Maidenhead with an increased majority of 16,769 – 60% of the vote. This followed an earlier failed attempt by the Liberal Democrats to unseat her in 2005, as one of that party's leading "decapitation-strategy" targets. Following

7134-428: The Labour Party , while Tim Farron succeeded Clegg as Leader of the Liberal Democrats . Despite speculation before the election that it would herald a new era of multi-party politics in the UK, it ended-up being the antithesis, marking a return to traditional two-party politics seen throughout the second half of the 20th century; Conservative–Labour domination would continue until the 2024 election . The SNP began

7257-412: The Labour Party had been the two biggest parties since 1922 . Every prime minister to serve since 1935 had been the leader of the Conservatives or Labour. Opinion polls had predicted that the two parties would receive a combined total of anywhere between 65% and 75% of votes, and would receive anywhere between 80% and 85% of the seats; and that, as such, the leader of one of the two parties would become

7380-626: The Opposition Labour Party . Following the actions of some members of Black Bloc in vandalising allegedly tax-avoiding shops and businesses on the day of the March 2011 TUC march, the Home Secretary unveiled reforms curbing the right to protest, including giving police extra powers to remove masked individuals and to police social networking sites to prevent illegal protest without police consent or notification. In 2012, despite inquiries by both Scotland Yard and

7503-477: The PM in Parliament as to whether she had examined the impact on communities and families on modest incomes, but it received no direct response. The human rights group Liberty concluded that the new rules showed scant regard to the impact they would have on genuine families. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Migration conducted an evidence based inquiry into the impact of the rules and concluded in their report that

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7626-480: The Prime Minister ( David Cameron of the Conservatives or Ed Miliband of Labour) after the election. The Liberal Democrats had been the third largest party in the UK for many years; but as described by various political commentators, other parties had risen relative to the Liberal Democrats since the 2010 election. In order to emphasise this, The Economist stated that "the familiar three-party system of

7749-546: The Prime Minister. Also in June 2010, May banned the Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik from entering the United Kingdom. According to The Daily Telegraph , a Home Office official who disagreed with this decision was suspended. In late June 2010, May announced plans for a temporary cap on UK visas for non-EU migrants. The move raised concerns about the impact on the British economy. In August 2013, May supported

7872-494: The Public Enquiry Office, are also there. Theresa May [REDACTED] Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead , ( / t ə ˈ r iː z ə / ; née   Brasier ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016. She

7995-503: The Royal Courts of Justice issued a statement, denying that this was the reason for the tribunal's decision in that case, and stating that the real reason was that he was in a genuine relationship with a British partner, and owning a pet cat was simply one of many pieces of evidence given to show that the relationship was "genuine". The Home Office had failed to apply its own rules for dealing with unmarried partners of people settled in

8118-535: The Scottish Conservatives, asked about a deal with UKIP in the Scottish leaders' debate, replied: "No deals with UKIP." She continued that her preference and the Prime Minister's preference in a hung parliament was for a minority Conservative government. UKIP said they could have supported a minority Conservative government through a confidence and supply arrangement in return for a referendum on EU membership before Christmas 2015. They also spoke of

8241-472: The Second World War , but as the outgoing Government were a coalition and opinion polls were not showing a large or consistent lead for any one party, it was widely expected and predicted throughout the election campaign that no party would gain an overall majority, which could have led to a new coalition or other arrangements such as confidence and supply agreements. This was also associated with

8364-610: The Tories, Labour, and the Lib Dems appears to be breaking down with the rise of UKIP, the Greens and the SNP." Ofcom ruled that the major parties in Great Britain were the Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, the SNP a major party in Scotland, and Plaid Cymru a major party in Wales. The BBC 's guidelines were similar but removed UKIP from their list of major parties, and instead stated that UKIP should be given "appropriate levels of coverage in output to which

8487-415: The UK. Amnesty International said May's comments only fuelled "myths and misconceptions" about the Human Rights Act and Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke subsequently called May's comments "laughable and childlike." In June 2012, May was found in contempt of court by Judge Barry Cotter, and stood accused of "totally unacceptable and regrettable behaviour", being said to have shown complete disregard for

8610-408: The actions of the police in controlling the demonstrations but was described by The Daily Telegraph as "under growing political pressure" due to her handling of the protests. In December 2010, May declared that deployment of water cannon by police forces in mainland Britain was an operational decision which had been "resisted until now by senior police officers." She rejected their use following

8733-408: The adjournment of the deportation to the United States of alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon . She also suspended the registration scheme for carers of children and vulnerable people, with May saying that the measures were "draconian. You were assumed to be guilty until you were proven innocent, and told you were able to work with children." On 4 August 2010, it was reported that May was scrapping

8856-562: The advice of the prime minister. Under the provisions of the Septennial Act 1715 , as amended by the Parliament Act 1911 , an election had to be announced on or before the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the previous parliament, barring exceptional circumstances. No sovereign had refused a request for dissolution since the beginning of the 20th century, and the practice had evolved that a prime minister would typically call

8979-696: The aftermath of Brexit. In January 2021, the UK implemented a new points-based immigration system, and EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens who resided in the UK must have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after the Brexit transition period. As of 2017, UKVI is spread over nine buildings across the country. The headquarters of UK Visas and Immigration are in South London in Lunar House . Other immigration offices, such as

9102-566: The change in the classification May said: "The decision to bring khat under control is finely balanced and takes into account the expert scientific advice and these broader concerns", and pointed out that the product had already been banned in the majority of other EU member states, as well as most of the G8 countries including Canada and the US. A report on khat use by the ACMD published in January 2013 had noted

9225-468: The country, are listed below in order of the number of seats that they contested: Dozens of minor parties stood in this election. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition stood 135 candidates and was the only minor party to have more than forty candidates. The Respect Party , who came into the election with one MP who was elected at the 2012 Bradford West by-election , stood four candidates. The British National Party , who finished fifth with 1.9% of

9348-413: The current two-year probationary period for partners to 5 years. The rules also prevent any adult and elderly dependents from settling in the UK unless they can demonstrate that, as a result of age, illness or disability , they require a level of long-term personal care that can only be provided by a relative in the UK. The House of Lords was concerned about the immigration issue and therefore addressed

9471-511: The date of the next general election being 7 May 2015. This resulted in the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, which removed the prime minister's power to advise the monarch to call an early election. The Act only permits an early dissolution if Parliament votes for one by a two-thirds supermajority , or if a majority of MPs pass a vote of no confidence and no new government is subsequently formed within 14 days. However,

9594-456: The deficit on the previous Labour government. Labour, in return, sought to establish their fiscal responsibility. With the Conservatives also making several spending commitments (e.g., on the NHS), commentators talked of the two main parties' "political crossdressing", each trying to campaign on the other's traditional territory. Hung parliaments have been unusual in British political history since

9717-670: The detention legal. A 2016 ruling by the Court of Appeal found that the provision of the Terrorism Act used for Miranda's detention was "incompatible with the European convention on human rights ", but that the detention itself was lawful. May also championed legislation popularly dubbed the Snooper's Charter , requiring internet and mobile service providers to keep records of internet usage, voice calls, messages and email for up to

9840-595: The detention of David Miranda , partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald , under the Terrorism Act 2000 , saying that critics of the Metropolitan Police action needed to "think about what they are condoning". Lib Dem peer and former Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald accused May of an "ugly and unhelpful" attempt to implicate those who were concerned about the police action of "condoning terrorism". The High Court subsequently acknowledged there were "indirect implications for press freedom" but ruled

9963-404: The dissolution of the 55th Parliament on 30 March 2015 and the scheduling of the election on 7 May. There were local elections on the same day in all of England, with the exception of Greater London . No elections were scheduled to take place in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. All British, Irish, and Commonwealth citizens over the age of 18 and residing in the UK who were not in prison or

10086-430: The election would result in a second consecutive hung parliament whose composition would be similar to the one elected at the previous general election in 2010 . Potential coalitions and agreements between parties were intensively discussed; as a result, smaller parties received much more attention during the campaign than in previous UK elections. However, opinion polls underestimated the Conservatives, as they won 330 of

10209-478: The election, the Conservatives decided to target Lib Dem seats as well as defending their own seats and targeting Conservative–Labour marginals, which ultimately contributed to their victory. In 2015 David Cameron launched the Conservative formal campaign in Chippenham on 30 March. Throughout the campaign the Conservatives played on fears of a Labour–SNP coalition following the Scottish independence referendum

10332-556: The first woman prime minister," according to those who knew her. A university friend, Pat Frankland, said, "I cannot remember a time when she did not have political ambitions." Between 1977 and 1983, May worked at the Bank of England . From 1985 to 1997, she was a financial consultant at the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS). She served as Head of the European Affairs Unit from 1989 to 1996 and Senior Adviser on International Affairs from 1996 to 1997 in

10455-405: The formation of the coalition government after the 2010 general election , May was appointed Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities , giving up the latter role in 2012. Re-appointed Home Secretary after the Conservatives won the 2015 general election , she became the longest-serving Home Secretary in more than 60 years. During her tenure as Home Secretary , she pursued reform of

10578-464: The former Labour government's proposed "go orders" scheme to protect women from domestic violence by banning abusers from the victim's home. In June 2010, May faced her first major national security incident as Home Secretary with the Cumbria shootings . She delivered her first major speech in the House of Commons as Home Secretary in a statement on this incident, later visiting the victims with

10701-429: The general elections. In 2015, the Labour Party continued to dominate Welsh politics at the general elections. Coalitions have been rare in the United Kingdom, because the system of first-past-the-post voting has usually led to one party winning an overall majority in the Commons. However, with the outgoing Government being a coalition and with opinion polls not showing a large or consistent lead for any one party, there

10824-432: The identity of any suspect under the age of 18, even if they are convicted, but it also allows for an application to have such restrictions lifted, if deemed appropriate." May added that "what I've asked for is that CPS guidance should go to prosecutors to say that where possible, they should be asking for the anonymity of juveniles who are found guilty of criminal activity to be lifted". In July 2010, May proposed to review

10947-571: The largest parties contribute and, on some occasions, similar levels of coverage". Seven parties participated in the election leadership debates : Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, UKIP, SNP, PC and Green. Northern Ireland's political parties were not included in any debates, despite the DUP , a party based in Northern Ireland, being the fourth largest party in the UK going into the election. Several parties operate in specific regions only. The main national parties, standing in most seats across all of

11070-568: The major parties had the following percentages of black and ethnic minority candidates: the Conservatives 11%, the Liberal Democrats 10%, Labour 9%, UKIP 6%, the Greens 4%. The average age of the candidates for the seven major parties was 45. The youngest candidates were all aged 18: Solomon Curtis (Labour, Wealden ); Niamh McCarthy (Independent, Liverpool Wavertree ); Michael Burrows (UKIP, Inverclyde ); Declan Lloyd (Labour, South East Cornwall ); and Laura-Jane Rossington ( Communist Party , Plymouth Sutton and Devonport ). The oldest candidate

11193-451: The number of non- European Economic Area family migrants. The changes were mostly intended to apply to new applicants after 9 July 2012. The newly introduced rules came into effect on 9 July 2012 allowing only those British citizens earning more than £18,600 to bring their spouses or their children to live with them in the UK. This figure would rise significantly in cases where visa applications are also made for children. They also increased

11316-792: The opposition and Conservative leader William Hague , and former leader of the Liberal Democrats Menzies Campbell . Notable newcomers to the House of Commons included future prime minister and Labour leader Keir Starmer ; future prime minister, Conservative leader and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak , who also succeeded Hague as MP for Richmond (Yorks) ; future deputy prime minister and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and future SNP Commons leader Ian Blackford . Another future prime minister and Conservative leader, Boris Johnson , who had previously left Parliament in 2008 so he could serve as

11439-637: The organisation. May served as a councillor for Durnsford ward on the Borough Council of the London Borough of Merton from 1986 to 1994, where she was Chairman of Education (1988–1990) and Deputy Group Leader and Housing Spokesman (1992–1994). In the 1992 general election May was the Conservative Party candidate for the safe Labour seat of North West Durham , placing second to incumbent MP Hilary Armstrong , with future Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron placing third. May then stood at

11562-496: The period between the dissolution of Parliament and the following general election polling day from 17 to 25 working days. This had the effect of moving forward the date of the dissolution of the Parliament to 30 March 2015. The key dates were: While at the previous election there had been a record 149 MPs not standing for re-election, the 2015 election saw 89 MPs standing down. Out of these MPs, 37 were Conservatives, 37 were Labour, 10 were Liberal Democrats, 3 were Independents, 1

11685-675: The population entitled to only one place out of 38?" In 2003, after Michael Howard 's election as Conservative Party and Opposition Leader in November that year, May was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Transport and the Environment . In June 2004, she was moved to become Shadow Secretary of State for the Family . Following the 2005 general election she was also made Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . After David Cameron 's election as Conservative Party and Opposition Leader, he appointed May as Shadow Leader of

11808-459: The power this would bring them in negotiations; Labour and the Conservatives both insisted that they were working towards winning overall majorities, while they were also reported to be preparing for the possibility of a second election later in the year. In practice, Labour were prepared to make a "broad" offer to the Liberal Democrats in the event of a hung parliament. Most predictions saw Labour as having more potential support in parliament than

11931-466: The previous Labour Government's anti-social behaviour legislation signalling the abolition of the " Anti-Social Behaviour Order " (ASBO). She identified the policy's high level of failure with almost half of ASBOs breached between 2000 and 2008, leading to "fast-track" criminal convictions. May proposed a less punitive, community-based approach to tackling social disorder. May suggested that anti-social behaviour policy "must be turned on its head", reversing

12054-499: The previous Labour government's measures on data collection and surveillance in England and Wales. By way of a government bill which became the Identity Documents Act 2010 , she brought about the abolition of the Labour government's National Identity Card and database scheme and reformed the regulations on the retention of DNA samples for suspects and controls on the use of CCTV cameras. In May 2010, May announced

12177-411: The prime minister had the power, by order made by Statutory Instrument under section 1(5) of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, to fix the polling day to be up to two months later than 7 May 2015. Such a Statutory Instrument must be approved by each House of Parliament. Under section 14 of the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 , the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 was amended to extend

12300-410: The product had been associated with "acute psychotic episodes", "chronic liver disease" and family breakdown. However, it concluded that there is no risk of harm for most users, and recommended that khat remain uncontrolled due to lack of evidence for these associations. Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker accused May of suppressing proposals to treat rather than prosecute minor drug offenders from

12423-408: The report, which has prompted an inquiry into undercover policing, was "devastating". In July 2013, May welcomed the fact that crime had fallen by more than 10% under the coalition government, while still being able to make savings. She said that this was partly due to the government removing red tape and scrapping targets to allow the police to concentrate on crime-fighting. In 2014, May delivered

12546-478: The riots May urged the identification of as many as possible of the young criminals involved. She said: "when I was in Manchester last week, the issue was raised to me about the anonymity of juveniles who are found guilty of crimes of this sort. The Crown Prosecution Service is to order prosecutors to apply for anonymity to be lifted in any youth case they think is in the public interest. The law currently protects

12669-669: The rules were causing very young children to be separated from their parents and could exile British citizens from the UK. At the Conservative Party Conference in October 2011, while arguing that the Human Rights Act needed to be amended, May gave the example of a foreign national who the Courts ruled was allowed to remain in the UK, "because—and I am not making this up—he had a pet cat". In response,

12792-557: The split was to disperse cases more evenly in a way that would provide them with "high-quality decisions". The responsible minister is the Minister of State for Immigration . Sarah Rapson, the Registrar General for England and Wales , was appointed as interim director general of UK Visas and Immigration. Her position was made permanent on 5 March 2014. Marc Owen, former senior director of national and international operations,

12915-644: The treaty that got him out of Britain for good". The Qatada deportation also shaped May's views on the European Convention on Human Rights and European Court of Human Rights , saying that they had "moved the goalposts" and had a "crazy interpretation of our human rights laws", as a result, May has since campaigned against the institutions, saying that British withdrawal from them should be considered. 2015 United Kingdom general election David Cameron Conservative David Cameron Conservative The 2015 United Kingdom general election

13038-400: The vote and stood 338 candidates at the 2010 general election, stood only eight candidates this year following a collapse in their support. Seven hundred fifty-three other candidates stood at the general election, including Independents and candidates from other parties. The main parties in Northern Ireland in order of their number of seats were: Smaller parties in Northern Ireland included

13161-542: The year before. The Labour campaign was launched on 27 March at Olympic Park in London . Ed Miliband 's EdStone was a major feature of the campaign which was covered by the media. Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman embarked on a pink bus tour as part of her Woman to Woman campaign . The Conservative manifesto committed to "a straight in-out referendum on our membership of

13284-433: The years following the 2015 election, the tweet became infamous. Conservative campaigning sought to highlight what they described as the dangers of a minority Labour administration supported by the SNP. This proved effective at dominating the agenda of the campaign and at motivating voters to support them. The surprise Conservative victory was "widely put down to the success of the anti-Labour/SNP warnings", according to

13407-555: Was Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidenhead from 1997 to 2024, and has been a member of the House of Lords since August 2024. May is the second female Prime Minister, after Margaret Thatcher , and the first woman to have held two of the Great Offices of State . Ideologically, May is a one-nation conservative . May grew up in Oxfordshire and attended St Hugh's College, Oxford . After graduating in 1977, she worked at

13530-774: Was Doris Osen, 84, of the Elderly Persons' Independent Party (EPIC), who contested Ilford North . Other candidates aged over 80 included three long-serving Labour MPs standing for re-election: Sir Gerald Kaufman (aged 84; Manchester Gorton ), Dennis Skinner (aged 83; Bolsover ) and David Winnick (aged 81; Walsall North ). Following his re-election, Kaufman became Father of the House , an honorary title he held until his death in early 2017. Several candidates, including two each for Labour and UKIP, were suspended from their respective parties after nominations were closed. Independent candidate Ronnie Carroll died after nominations were closed. In late 2014, six months before

13653-557: Was Sinn Féin and 1 was Plaid Cymru. The highest-profile members of parliament leaving were: Gordon Brown , the former Prime Minister, and William Hague , the former Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition . Alongside Brown and Hague, 17 former cabinet ministers stood down at the election, including Stephen Dorrell , Jack Straw , Alistair Darling , David Blunkett , Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Dame Tessa Jowell . The highest-profile Liberal Democrat to stand down

13776-461: Was aiming to form a minority government. The Liberal Democrats said that they would talk first to whichever party won the most seats. They later campaigned on being a stabilising influence should either the Conservatives or Labour fall short of a majority, with the slogan "We will bring a heart to a Conservative Government and a brain to a Labour one". Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats ruled out coalitions with UKIP. Ruth Davidson , leader of

13899-497: Was also a member of the National Security Council . She was the longest-serving Home Secretary for over 60 years, since James Chuter Ede who served over six years and two months from August 1945 to October 1951. May's appointment as Home Secretary was somewhat unexpected, with Chris Grayling having served as shadow Home Secretary in opposition. May's debut as Home Secretary involved overturning several of

14022-414: Was also the first UK general election to use individual rather than household voter registration . An election is called following the dissolution of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . The 2015 general election was the first to be held under the provisions of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 . Prior to this, the power to dissolve Parliament was a royal prerogative , exercised by the sovereign on

14145-672: Was appointed the first female Chairman of the Conservative Party in July 2002. During her speech at the 2002 Conservative Party Conference, she explained why, in her view, her party must change: "You know what people call us? The Nasty Party. In recent years a number of politicians have behaved disgracefully and then compounded their offences by trying to evade responsibility. We all know who they are. Let's face it, some of them have stood on this platform." She accused some unnamed colleagues of trying to "make political capital out of demonising minorities", and charged others with indulging themselves "in petty feuding or sniping instead of getting behind

14268-744: Was best placed to beat the SNP. The deadline for parties and individuals to file candidate nomination papers to the acting returning officer (and the deadline for candidates to withdraw) was 4 p.m. on 9 April 2015. The total number of candidates was 3,971; the second-highest number in history, slightly down from the record 4,150 candidates at the last election in 2010. There were a record number of female candidates standing in terms of both absolute numbers and percentage of candidates: 1,020 (26.1%) in 2015, up from 854 (21.1%) in 2010. The proportion of female candidates for major parties ranged from 41% of Alliance Party candidates to 12% of UKIP candidates. According to UCL's Parliamentary Candidates UK project

14391-523: Was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons . The Conservative Party , led by prime minister David Cameron , won a unexpected majority victory of ten seats; they had been leading a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats . It was the last general election to be held before the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU) in June 2016. Opinion polls and political commentators had wildly predicted that

14514-556: Was much discussion about possible post-election coalitions or other arrangements, such as confidence and supply agreements. Some UK political parties that only stand in part of the country have reciprocal relationships with parties standing in other parts of the country. These include: On 17 March 2015 the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionist Party agreed an election pact, whereby

14637-508: Was succeeded by Boris Johnson , her former foreign secretary . May remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher until she stood down at the 2024 general election . She was elevated to the House of Lords later that year as Baroness May of Maidenhead. In historical rankings of prime ministers , academics and journalists have ranked May in the bottom fourth quartile. Theresa May was born on 1 October 1956 in Eastbourne , Sussex. She

14760-588: Was the result of a treaty negotiated by May in April 2013, under which Jordan agreed to give Qatada a fair trial, by not using evidence that may have been obtained against him through torture. May pointed to Qatada's deportation as a triumph, guaranteeing in September 2013 that "he will not be returning to the UK", and declaring in her 2016 leadership campaign announcement that she was told that she "couldn't deport Abu Qatada" but that she "flew to Jordan and negotiated

14883-534: Was their former leader Sir Menzies Campbell , while the longest-serving MP, Sir Peter Tapsell , also retired, having served as an MP continuously since 1966 , or for 49 years. On 9 April 2015, the deadline for standing for the general election, there were 464 political parties registered with the Electoral Commission . Candidates who did not belong to a party were either labelled as an Independent or not labelled at all. The Conservative Party and

15006-399: Was their worst result since their formation in 1988. Cabinet ministers Vince Cable , Ed Davey , and Danny Alexander lost their seats, whilst Clegg only narrowly held his own seat. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) received 12.6 per cent of the vote, displacing the Liberal Democrats as the third-placed party in terms of popular vote, but won only one seat: Clacton , which they had gained at

15129-400: Was to reduce the number of MPs to 500, and for them to be elected using a proportional vote system . The Government increased the amount of money that parties and candidates were allowed to spend on campaigning during the election by 23%, a move decided against the advice of the Electoral Commission . The election saw the first cap on spending by parties in individual constituencies during

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