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Could there be an early general election? | Could there be an early general election? |
(14 days later) | |
A vote on the Queen's Speech is among a number of possible triggers for an early general election. | |
But how soon could an election happen and why does Prime Minister Boris Johnson want one? | |
Why does Boris Johnson want an early election? | |
The next election isn't due until 2022 - but the PM wants an early election to try to restore the Conservative Party's ruling majority in the Commons. | |
At the moment, if every opposition MP voted against the government, it would lose by 45 votes. | |
But while calling an early election carries risks, Mr Johnson would hope to end the political stalemate and make it easier to deliver Brexit. | |
How quickly can an election happen? | |
Once an election is called, there has to be a gap of at least five weeks before polling day. | |
That's because the law requires Parliament to dissolve 25 working days before the election. | |
At this point, politicians stop being MPs and campaign for re-election, if they choose to stand again. | |
Why hasn't an election already been called? | |
In September, the prime minister twice challenged MPs to hold an early election - only to be rejected both times. | |
Mr Johnson can't just decide to hold an early election. He needs the support of two-thirds of MPs - at least 434. This is a legal requirement, set out under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA). | |
Opposition parties said they would not agree to an early election while there was still a possibility of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. They said they didn't trust the PM to stick to a pledge to hold an election beforehand. | |
Will the outcome of the Brexit talks lead to an election? | |
Should the prime minister fail to reach a deal with the EU by 19 October- or persuade MPs to support one that is agreed - a law called the Benn Act comes into play. If Mr Johnson complies, he must ask for a Brexit extension into the new year. | |
It is possible that this would see more MPs back a call for an early election. | |
What role could the Queen's Speech play? | |
A Queen's Speech - which provides the government with an opportunity to highlight its forthcoming priorities - is due on 14 October. | |
MPs will then debate its contents, followed by a vote, which is usually held four or five days later. | |
It's extremely rare for a government to lose a Queen's Speech vote, but Mr Johnson goes into it off the back of seven Commons defeats. | |
By voting against the Queen's Speech, MPs would be rejecting Mr Johnson's programme for government. | |
This would lead to pressure on all parties to back an early election. This could happen in a number of ways. | |
A vote under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act | |
After a Queen's Speech defeat, the government could once again ask MPs to support an early election. | |
However, another vote under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act would still require at least two-thirds of MPs to agree. | |
Bypass the Fixed-term Parliaments Act | |
If the government felt it couldn't reach the two-thirds threshold, it may try to get round the requirement altogether. | |
It could do so by introducing a very short law that calls for an election and adds "notwithstanding the Fixed-term Parliaments Act". | It could do so by introducing a very short law that calls for an election and adds "notwithstanding the Fixed-term Parliaments Act". |
The advantage of this route - from the government's point of view - is that it would only require a simple majority of MPs to support it rather than two-thirds. | |
But it would also need to clear all stages in the House of Commons and the House of Lords. That means there's a risk the law could be sabotaged if MPs or peers propose changes to the wording. | |
Labour calls a motion of no confidence | |
Labour could choose to hold a no-confidence vote. | |
This would give all MPs a vote on whether they wanted the current government to continue. Only a simple majority would be needed. | |
If it succeeded, opposition parties would be allowed two weeks to come together to try to form an alternative government. If this happened, Mr Johnson would be expected to resign and a new prime minister would take over. | |
But if nothing was resolved during those two weeks, the FTPA says a general election would be automatically triggered. | |
Under this scenario, an election would take place at least seven weeks after a no-confidence vote was passed. That's because two weeks would be taken up by opposition parties trying to form a government, plus a further five weeks to dissolve Parliament for the campaign. | |
Government calls a motion of no confidence in itself | |
If the government felt it had no other way of forcing an early election, it could in theory call a motion of no confidence in itself. | |
In order for it to succeed, Conservative MPs would have to vote to bring down their own government. | |
While such a tactic might appear extreme to outside observers, it would trigger an automatic early election - as long as opposition parties failed to form an alternative government within the 14 days. | |
As such, this option would be extremely high risk. | |
Brexit explained | |
Brexit - British exit - refers to the UK leaving the EU. A public vote was held in June 2016, to decide whether the UK should leave or remain. | |
More news explainers |