Parliamentary (General) elections

Parliamentary elections or General elections in Britain refer to the election of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons, these must be held within five years and one month of the last one, but are often held before that time as it is up to the parties in government when to call a General election.

A government may serve a maximum of five years. They may however call a general election at any time during their term of office. General elections in Britain traditionally take place on a Thursday, the last General election not on a Thursday was that of 1931.

The five-year limit on the time of a Parliament can be varied by an Act of Parliament. This was done during both World Wars; the Parliament elected in December 1910 was prolonged to November 1918, and that elected in November 1935 lasted until June 1945. The House of Lords has an absolute veto on any Bill to extend the life of a Parliament.