The UK Government has authorised pilot schemes to take place at local elections in England in May 2026. They tested new ways of polling station voting.

The UK Government has authorised pilot schemes to take place at local elections in England in May 2026. They tested new ways of polling station voting.

Polling day for UK elections is usually Thursday and cannot be held at a weekend. Weekend voting pilots were held in four areas in local elections in May 2026.

Polling day for UK elections is usually Thursday and cannot be held at a weekend. Weekend voting pilots were held in four areas in local elections in May 2026.

Election rules include a timetable that must be followed. This briefing explains what is in the timetables and how long they run.

Election rules include a timetable that must be followed. This briefing explains what is in the timetables and how long they run.

Public resources cannot be used for party political campaigning at any time. At elections ministers will normally observe discretion over announcements or decisions that could influence voters.

Public resources cannot be used for party political campaigning at any time. At elections ministers will normally observe discretion over announcements or decisions that could influence voters.

This briefing paper sets out the elections that are scheduled for 2022 and future years up until 2026.The elections covered include General Elections to the House of Commons, for devolved legislatures (Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly), London Assembly and Mayor of London, local authorities (in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), combined and local authority Mayors, and Police and Crime Commissioners.

This briefing paper sets out the elections that are scheduled for 2022 and future years up until 2026.The elections covered include General Elections to the House of Commons, for devolved legislatures (Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Northern Ireland Assembly), London Assembly and Mayor of London, local authorities (in England, Wales,...

Moved by

Lord True

Moved by

Lord True

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I will briefly remind your Lordships of where we find ourselves. Your Lordships’ House amended the Bill, which had been passed by the other place, to give the Commons the right to a veto on dissolution and invited the other place to...

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I will briefly remind your Lordships of where we find ourselves. Your Lordships’ House amended the Bill, which had been passed by the other place, to give the Commons the right to a veto on dissolution and invited the other place to...

My Lords, after a short debate in the other place, the amendment proposed by this House was disagreed, and here we are today. There is still an issue: we believe the Dissolution of Parliament should not be based on the revival of the prerogative, but the other place takes a...

My Lords, after a short debate in the other place, the amendment proposed by this House was disagreed, and here we are today. There is still an issue: we believe the Dissolution of Parliament should not be based on the revival of the prerogative, but the other place takes a...

My Lords, I hope we are all agreed that we should not insist on the amendment that we passed on the previous occasion. However, we were right to ask the other place to think again. Indeed, even though it was a relatively short debate, and programmed as such, it was...

My Lords, I hope we are all agreed that we should not insist on the amendment that we passed on the previous occasion. However, we were right to ask the other place to think again. Indeed, even though it was a relatively short debate, and programmed as such, it was...

My Lords, we should not let this moment pass without reminding ourselves of precisely what a bizarre set of circumstances we find ourselves in. I remind the House that the Lords amendment that we sent to the Commons says:

“The powers referred to in subsection (1)”

—that is, the power to dissolve...

My Lords, we should not let this moment pass without reminding ourselves of precisely what a bizarre set of circumstances we find ourselves in. I remind the House that the Lords amendment that we sent to the Commons says:

“The powers referred to in subsection (1)”

—that is, the power to dissolve...

My Lords, I have mixed feelings on this occasion. As the House may remember from my remarks on Report, I always thought that our amendment to the Bill that we passed back to the Commons was a second best. I also regret, as the noble Lord has just said, that...

My Lords, I have mixed feelings on this occasion. As the House may remember from my remarks on Report, I always thought that our amendment to the Bill that we passed back to the Commons was a second best. I also regret, as the noble Lord has just said, that...

My Lords, I fear that if we had removed Clause 3, although I was very sympathetic to that line of argument, as the noble Lord knows, we

would have had the same result. The Commons, whipped, would have sent back the Bill with Clause 3 reinserted. We should not delude...

My Lords, I fear that if we had removed Clause 3, although I was very sympathetic to that line of argument, as the noble Lord knows, we

would have had the same result. The Commons, whipped, would have sent back the Bill with Clause 3 reinserted. We should not delude...

My Lords, I echo the sentiments of the noble Lord, Lord Grocott. This is a bizarre situation, in that we said to the House of Commons, “We think, O House of Commons, that you ought to have a bit more power on one of the most important acts of the...

My Lords, I echo the sentiments of the noble Lord, Lord Grocott. This is a bizarre situation, in that we said to the House of Commons, “We think, O House of Commons, that you ought to have a bit more power on one of the most important acts of the...

My Lords, we laugh, and in some ways, it is amusing. It is also extraordinary—I am not sure that it is amusing. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act was an Act of its time whose main purpose was to protect the coalition Government, and it succeeded in that to a degree. I...

My Lords, we laugh, and in some ways, it is amusing. It is also extraordinary—I am not sure that it is amusing. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act was an Act of its time whose main purpose was to protect the coalition Government, and it succeeded in that to a degree. I...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have spoken. I say to the noble Baroness that this Bill did receive detailed pre-legislative scrutiny; it was considered by a Joint Committee of both Houses and Ministers were scrutinised by committees in both Houses. Ministers in both Houses—I have had some...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have spoken. I say to the noble Baroness that this Bill did receive detailed pre-legislative scrutiny; it was considered by a Joint Committee of both Houses and Ministers were scrutinised by committees in both Houses. Ministers in both Houses—I have had some...

Just to help the Minister, that is exactly the point I was making about the Fixed-term Parliaments Act not having proper scrutiny and getting us into the position we are in now.

Just to help the Minister, that is exactly the point I was making about the Fixed-term Parliaments Act not having proper scrutiny and getting us into the position we are in now.

I was agreeing with the noble Baroness on that. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act was an aberration from 2011 to 2022. Some noble Lords have expressed shock that the House of Commons would wish to return to an arrangement which endured for generations. I do not share that shock.

The noble Lord,...

I was agreeing with the noble Baroness on that. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act was an aberration from 2011 to 2022. Some noble Lords have expressed shock that the House of Commons would wish to return to an arrangement which endured for generations. I do not share that shock.

The noble Lord,...

Lords consideration of Commons reason for disagreeing to a Lords amendment. The Lords amendment not insisted on and the Commons reason agreed to.

Lords consideration of Commons reason for disagreeing to a Lords amendment. The Lords amendment not insisted on and the Commons reason agreed to.

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will carry out an assessment of how the (a) Elections Bill and (b) the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill align with the themes and goals of the Summit for Democracy being hosted by the President...

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will carry out an assessment of how the (a) Elections Bill and (b) the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill align with the themes and goals of the Summit for Democracy being hosted by the President...