General Election

The process whereby the whole House of Commons stands for election at the same time. Each of the 646 constituencies in the UK chooses an MP to represent it, and the party who wins the most constituencies (seats) becomes Government. The leader of that party becomes Prime Minister and its ministers make up the new Cabinet.

General elections are held at least every five years; the exact timing is decided by the Prime Minister and there is often an election before the full five years has elapsed.