General election 2024 - Your questions answered

The next general election will take place on Thursday 4 July. Voters will be able to cast their votes between 07:00 and 22:00 at their local polling station.

The last general election was held on Thursday 12 December 2019, where the Conservatives won with a majority of 80 seats.

General elections in the UK are held no more than 5 years apart, but the timings of the elections can otherwise be determined by the Prime Minister.

There are currently 393 registered political parties across Great Britain and Northern Ireland; those with the largest number of MPs in the UK parliament prior to the announcement of the 2024 election include:

• The Conservatives and Unionist party
• The Labour Party
• The Scottish Nationalist Party
• The Liberal Democrats
• The DUP in Northern Ireland
• Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland
• Plaid Cymru in Wales
• Social Democratic Party

The ability to request a dissolution of parliament and call a general election lies with the Prime Minister. Both the public and opposing parties can try to pressure an earlier election if they believe one should be held.

MPs can hold a vote of no confidence, and if the majority wins, the leading party would need to either resign in favour of the opposition or call an election.

Parliament has to be dissolved 25 working days before polling day.

The Conservative party currently hold the majority power in the UK, with a total of 345 seats.

The UK currently uses the ‘First Past the Post’ voting system for house of commons elections, the UK is divided into a total of 650 separate constituencies, each of which votes for a single Member of Parliament. Candidates must receive the most votes to win, however, they do not need an absolute majority (over 50%).

To vote in the general election you must:

• Be registered to vote
• Be 18 or over on the day of the election (‘polling day’)
• Be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
• Be resident at an address in the UK or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
• Not be legally excluded from voting