More than 500,000 people have signed a petition calling for a general election after Liz Truss' chaotic first weeks as prime minister. The next vote is years away, but one could be called earlier under the right circumstances
ByChristian Abbott
4 Oct 2022
In the not too distant past, it felt like we couldn't go more than a few months between general elections.
And despite having a new prime minister in place, calls for calling a new election are growing after half a million people signed a petition to remove Liz Truss.
The petition passed 100,000 signatures on September 29, making it eligible to be considered for a parliamentary debate.
At the time of writing, it has surpassed a staggering 500,000 signatures, though a debate date is yet to be decided by Ms Truss and Parliament.
Darrin Charlesworth, the petition’s organiser, wrote: “The chaos engulfing the UK government is unprecedented. Over 40 ministers resigned leaving departments without leadership during cost of living, energy and climate crises.
“War rages in Ukraine; the Northern Ireland Protocol has further damaged our relationship with Europe; recession looms; the UK itself may cease to exist as Scotland seeks independence.
“This is the greatest set of challenges we have seen in our lifetimes. Let the people decide who leads us through this turmoil.”
Initially, the Tory government responded to the petition on September 20, releasing a statement which read: “The UK is a Parliamentary democracy and the Conservative Party remains the majority party.
“The Prime Minister has pledged to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations.”
However, it can now be considered for debate in parliament after passing the 100,000-name mark.
Here is everything you need to know about the next UK general election.
When is the next general election?
As Brits will know, there have been three general elections in recent years, with the last taking place on December 12, 2019, which swept shamed PM Boris Johnson into No.10.
Before that, there was one on June 8 2017 and May 7 2015, seeing Theresa May and David Cameron take office respectively.
UK Prime Ministers and their respective parliaments can only serve a term of five years from the day on which they first meet.
The current parliament met on December 17 2019 and is set to dissolve on December 17 2024.
Polling day would be expected to take place 25 days later, setting the next general election for January 2025.
No official date has been confirmed at this stage though.
Can a general election be called earlier?
Prime Ministers can announce a new general election
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
For an earlier general election to be called, it is typically up to the Prime Minster themselves to make the decision.
This hasn’t always been the case though, as in 2011, a law was passed that removed the PM’s power to call an early election.
Instead, it was the House of Commons that made the decision under certain conditions, such as two-thirds agreeing to a vote.
For an earlier general election to be called, it is typically up to the Prime Minster themselves to make the decision.
This hasn’t always been the case though, as in 2011, a law was passed that removed the PM’s power to call an early election.
Instead, it was the House of Commons that made the decision under certain conditions, such as two-thirds agreeing to a vote.
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