GENERAL elections in the UK by law have to be held within five years of each other.
Here is all you need to know about when we are likely to next head to the polls.
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What is a General Election?
A General Election is the chance for people in the UK to select an MP to represent their local area in the House of Commons.
Normally there will be several candidates, each from a different political party, standing to be MP in each constituency.
The vote will also determine who will be elected as the UK Prime Minister.
The last General Election was held on June 8, 2017.
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How often are General Elections held in the UK?
General elections have to be held at least every five years in the UK.
Previously elections could be called simply by the Prime Minister going to the Queen at any point within five years of the last one.
But after the Fixed Term Parliament Act was passed in 2011 the five-year gap was enshrined in law.
The act states that general elections are to be held on the first Thursday in May every five years.
However, it has two provisos for the polls opening early.
Firstly: “A motion of no confidence passed in Her Majesty’s Government by a simple majority and 14 days elapses without the House passing a confidence motion in any new Government formed.”
And Secondly: “A motion for a general election is agreed by two thirds of the total number of seats in the Commons including vacant seats (currently 434 out of 650).”
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.
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.
In December, May faced a vote of no confidence in her leadership after Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee, received more than the required 48 letters from MPs to trigger a vote.
However, after she suffered a defeat of 432 to 202 on her Brexit deal on January 15, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has tabled a vote of no confidence in her government.
It was debated and voted on on January 16, and May narrowly won the vote of no confidence 325 to 306.
If she lost, it could have triggered an election in 2019.
What could cause a snap election?
Reports swirled around Westminster last month that officials were considering another snap vote in June – after Mrs May seals off a Brexit deal.
Boris Johnson said any plans for an election were “lunacy” and the Tories would struggle to scramble together a manifesto.
He wrote in the Telegraph: “Perhaps there is no plan for an election, perhaps it is just a scare tactic designed to get MPs to vote for the PM’s appalling deal.
“But if someone in Tory HQ genuinely thinks it would be a good idea they should be dispatched on secondment to Venezuela or Zimbabwe or somewhere they can do less damage.”
Labour MP David Lammy agreed with his sentiment.
He said: This story is designed to scare the s**t out of MP colleagues in Leave seats in the hope they will vote for May’s deal.
“Let’s hope they can see through it.”
Sajid Javid said the public “would never forgive us” for holding yet another election at the current time.
The news came as a new poll showed a huge lead for the Tories of seven per cent.
Before she decided to call 2017’s disastrous snap poll, the Conservatives were also sailing ahead.
On March 29, the day Britain was supposed to leave the EU, May dropped a huge hint that she’s on the verge of calling an election to break the Brexit deadlock.
The PM said she feared ‘we are reaching the limits of this process in this House’ in a major hint she could go back to the people for support.
That afternoon the Prime Minister’s deal was defeated for a third time – by 58 votes.
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