UK Election 2022

[Brian Peacock]

It's all electioneering from here on in folks!

[pErvinalia]

Who is Russia backing?

[Brian Peacock]

The Tories, Labour, and the Greens as usual.

[JimC]

Can the government call one earlier?

[Brian Peacock]

Can the government call one earlier?

The government or opposition, can table a confidence motion in the Commons, the failure of which could initiate a dissolution. I say 'could' because the effect of a no-confidence vote is not immediate: the government have 14 days to form a new government and submit it to another vote - if they choose.

Or the government can just 'do a May' - like when she announced on TV that she was going to ask the opposition to vote on a government motion to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament in order to have a general election. The 5-year fixed term cycle was interrupted and reset by that event - which is why we face the prospect of a ham-strung Tory minority government held up by the Unionists of NI until 2022. May may have reduced her party majority, but she also gave them an extra two years in office.

However, I can't see Tory MPs voting themselves out of a job anytime soon, but at the same time the current government is unable to do very much as legislators. Developing and implementing policy will have to be achieved through ministerial instruments and existing legal powers, and in that low-activity high-risk political context the focus will inevitably fall on increasing the share of the national vote next time. That's why I think we're in for 3 years of electioneering.

[JimC]

Sounds like a case of muddling through...

[Scot Dutchy]

That is what the Brexiteers love Jim. No control just muddling. They are trying the same with the EU. Allows them to fiddle their wealth between the tax havens.