Daily Junction.mobi portalPolitics · July 10, 2026 · Sarah Mitchell · 8 min
UK general elections happen every 5 years maximum — here's how first past the post works, how to register, and why your vote might not count.
A general election is when the UK votes to elect all 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) who sit in the House of Commons. General elections must be held every 5 years maximum, but the Prime Minister can call one earlier if they think they will win. The UK uses first past the post (FPTP), where the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins, even if they get less than 50% of the vote. This system produces disproportionate results — in 2024, Labour won 412 seats (63%) on 33.7% of votes, while Reform UK won 5 seats (0.8%) on 14.3% of votes. Here is everything you need to know about UK general elections — how they work, when they happen, and how to vote.
General elections must be held every 5 years maximum, under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.
The Prime Minister chooses the date (within the 5-year window). They usually choose a date when they think they will win, based on:
Elections are usually held on Thursdays in May or June, to maximise turnout (better weather, lighter evenings).
Yes. The Prime Minister can call an election at any time within the 5-year window. For example:
Early elections are risky — if the Prime Minister misjudges public opinion, they can lose (Theresa May lost her majority in 2017).
Yes, if the government loses a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons. This has not happened since 1979 (when James Callaghan's Labour government lost a confidence vote and Margaret Thatcher won the subsequent election).
The UK uses first past the post (FPTP) to elect MPs.
The UK is divided into 650 constituencies (also called seats), each electing one MP. Constituencies have roughly equal populations (around 70,000 people each).
Examples:
In each constituency, the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they get less than 50% of the vote. There is no second round or runoff.
Example (fictional constituency):
Labour wins with 40% of the vote, even though 60% of voters voted for someone else.
FPTP produces disproportionate results:
Reform UK won more votes than the Lib Dems but only 5 seats (compared to 72 for the Lib Dems) because their votes were spread across the country, while Lib Dem votes were concentrated in specific constituencies.
FPTP rewards parties whose votes are concentrated and punishes parties whose votes are spread evenly. See our article on proportional representation for more.
You must register to vote at gov.uk/register-to-vote. Registration takes 5 minutes and requires:
Deadline: Registration closes 12 working days before polling day (e.g., if the election is on Thursday 4 July, registration closes on Thursday 18 June).
You must re-register if you:
Check at gov.uk/check-voter-registration. If you are not registered, you cannot vote.
Polling day is the day of the election (always a Thursday). Polling stations are open 7am–10pm.
You will receive a poll card by post telling you where to vote (usually a local school, church, or community centre). You do not need to bring the poll card — just turn up and give your name and address.
Since 2023, you must bring photo ID to vote in England. Accepted ID includes:
If you do not have ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate (takes 5 minutes online, delivered by post).
Scotland and Wales: Photo ID is not required (yet).
You will be given a ballot paper listing all candidates in your constituency. Mark an X next to one candidate. Put the ballot paper in the ballot box.
Your vote is secret — no one knows who you voted for.
If you cannot vote in person, you can:
You can vote if you are:
Polling stations close at 10pm on polling day. Ballot boxes are taken to counting centres, where votes are counted by hand (no electronic voting in the UK).
Results are announced constituency by constituency throughout the night and into the morning. The first results usually come in around 11pm, and the last around 6am.
At 10pm, the exit poll is published — a survey of 20,000+ voters asking how they voted. The exit poll is usually accurate within 10–20 seats.
The party with the most seats (not the most votes) wins the election and forms the government. The leader of that party becomes Prime Minister.
To win an outright majority, a party needs 326 seats (more than half of 650).
If no party wins 326 seats, it is a hung parliament. The largest party can try to form a government by:
If no government can be formed, another election is called.
The leader of the winning party becomes Prime Minister. If their party already holds power, they remain PM. If their party wins power from the opposition, they move into 10 Downing Street (the PM's official residence).
The outgoing PM resigns and the new PM is appointed by the King (a formality — the King has no choice).
The PM appoints the Cabinet — senior ministers who run government departments (Chancellor, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, etc.).
Within a few weeks, the new government delivers the King's Speech — a speech (written by the government, read by the King) setting out the government's legislative agenda.
The new Parliament meets, and MPs get to work — debating laws, scrutinising the government, and representing their constituents.
The 2024 general election was held on 4 July 2024. Results:
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