United Kingdom - General Election

Two by-elections in October

Two British parliamentary by-elections will be held in October in a test of how Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks Conservatives fare in the partys heartland and whether opposition Labor is regaining support in Scotland.

The votes will decide replacements for two outgoing lawmakers and are seen as a key electoral test for both major parties ahead of a national election expected next year, with Labor currently ahead in the polls.
On October 19, Sunaks Conservatives will try to retain the seat of Mid Bedfordshire in south-east England, which was vacated by Nadine Dorries, who criticized Sunaks leadership when she formally stepped down last month.

Dorries, an ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson, had announced in June that she would step down but delayed her departure. Votes to replace Johnson, who also resigned as a lawmaker, and two other conservative lawmakers have already taken place.
In those July votes, Sunaks Conservatives lost two strategically important parliamentary seats, but unexpectedly retained Johnsons old constituency in a setback for Labour.

The second by-election to be held in October will be to replace a Scottish National Party (SNP) lawmaker who was kicked out of the party and removed by voters for breaking COVID lockdown rules.

Margaret Ferrier had represented Rutherglen and Hamilton West on the outskirts of Glasgow and the contest to replace her is likely to be held on October 5. The final decision on the date awaits approval from the local council. - Posted on : 09-September-2023

When is the next General Election?

The next general election in the United Kingdom is scheduled to be held on May 5, 2022, under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

But The Sunday Times reported on September 23rd that Theresa May's aides had secretly been planning for a snap election in November this year.

It was claimed that in response to the fallout from the EU summit in Salzburg in September 2018 by "war-gaming" a vote was needed to win backing for a new Brexit plan.

One aide reportedly asked another: “What are you doing in November — because I think we are going to need an election.”

It was also claimed that another member of her inner circle had said she was planning to stand down next summer in a bid to prevent ministerial resignations now to force her out.

The date of the last general election was June 8, 2017, which saw the Conservatives lose their majority but remain in Government after they struck a deal with the DUP. - Posted on : 29-September-2018