# Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019

Constitutional documents and events relevant to the status of the United Kingdom and its countries :
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Treaty of Union1706Acts of Union1707Succession to the Crown Act 17071707Septennial Act1716Wales and Berwick Act1746Constitution of Ireland (1782)1782Acts of Union 18001800HC (Disqualifications) Act 18011801Reform Act 18321832Scottish Reform Act 18321832Irish Reform Act 18321832Judicial Committee Act 18331833Judicial Committee Act 18431843Judicial Committee Act 18441844Representation of the People Act 18671867Reform Act (Scotland) 18681868Reform Act (Ireland) 18681868Irish Church Act1869Royal Titles Act 18761876Appellate Jurisdiction Act1876Reform Act 18841884Interpretation Act 18891889Parliament Act1911Aliens Restriction Act1914Status of Aliens Act 19141914Government of Ireland Act 19141914Welsh Church Act1914Royal Proclamation of 19171917Representation of the People Act 19181918Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act1919Government of Ireland Act1920Anglo-Irish Treaty1921Church of Scotland Act 19211921Irish Free State (Agreement) Act1922Irish Free State Constitution Act1922Ireland (Confirm. of Agreement) Act 19251925Balfour Declaration of 19261926Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act1927Representation of the People Act 19281928Eire (Confirmation of Agreement) Act 19291929Statute of Westminster1931HM Declaration of Abdication Act 19361936Regency Act 19371937Regency Act 19431943British Nationality Act 19481948Representation of the People Act 19481948Ireland Act 19491949Statute of the Council of Europe1949Parliament Act 19491949Regency Act 19531953Royal Titles Act 19531953European Convention on Human Rights1953Interpretation Act (NI)1954HC Disqualification Act 19571957Life Peerages Act1958Commonwealth Immigrants Act 19621962Peerage Act1963Royal Assent Act1967Commonwealth Immigrants Act 19681968Immigration Act1971EC Treaty of Accession1972NI (Temporary Provisions) Act1972European Communities Act1972Local Government Act1972UK joins the European Communities1973Local Government (Scotland) Act1973NI border poll1973NI Constitution Act1973House of Commons Disqualification Act1975Referendum Act1975EC membership referendum1975Interpretation Act1978Scotland Act 19781978Wales Act 19781978Scottish devolution referendum1979Welsh devolution referendum1979British Nationality Act1981Representation of the People Act 19831983Representation of the People Act 19851985Single European Act1985Maastricht Treaty1993Local Government (Wales) Act1994Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act1994Referendums (Scotland & Wales) Act1997Scottish devolution referendum1997Welsh devolution referendum1997Good Friday Agreement1998Northern Ireland Act1998Government of Wales Act1998Human Rights Act1998Scotland Act1998House of Lords Act1999Representation of the People Act 20002000Parties, Elections and Referendums Act2000Constitutional Reform Act2005Government of Wales Act 20062006Northern Ireland Act 20092009Lisbon Treaty2009Constitutional Reform and Governance Act2010Parl. Voting System and Constituencies Act2011Welsh devolution referendum2011Alternative Vote referendum2011European Union Act 20112011Fixed-term Parliaments Act2011Scotland Act 20122012Succession to the Crown Act 20132013Scottish independence referendum2014House of Lords Reform Act2014Wales Act 20142014HL (Expulsion and Suspension) Act2015Recall of MPs Act2015European Union Referendum Act2015EU membership referendum2016Scotland Act 20162016Wales Act 20172017EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Act2017Invocation of Article 502017European Union (Withdrawal) Act2018EU Withdrawal Act 20192019 EU Withdrawal (No. 2) Act2019 Early Parliamentary General Election Act2019EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act2020UK leaves the European Union2020UK Internal Market Act2020EU (Future Relationship) Act2020Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act2022 Elections Act2022 :
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The Early Parliamentary General Election Act 2019 (c. 29), also known as the Election Bill, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made legal provision for the holding of the 2019 general election on 12 December 2019.
The act was fast-tracked in its passage through Parliament, meaning that it completed all of its stages in the House of Commons in a single day, on 29 October 2019, and received its formal First Reading in the House of Lords on the same day. It completed its remaining stages there on 30 October, and received royal assent, thereby becoming law, on 31 October.
The act was a very unusual piece of constitutional legislation, as it made the 2019 general election unique by being the first (and quite possibly only) national election in UK history to have been triggered by a piece of specific legislation that circumvented the operation of ordinary electoral law. The act also directly demonstrated the ancient principle of Parliamentary sovereignty that Parliament cannot bind its successors.
The ordinary law on parliamentary general elections at the time of the passing of the act was the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 ("FTPA"), under which elections took place every five years, except that an early general election could be triggered by the House of Commons in either of two ways: a resolution supported by at least two-thirds of the total membership of the House, or a vote of no confidence in the government, when an election must be called after fourteen days unless a motion of confidence has been passed. The 2019 Act, being a new Act, required only a simple majority of the members voting in order to pass.
The act automatically became spent upon the conclusion of the election and was repealed by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 which also repealed the FTPA on 24 March 2022.

## Background

On the weekend of 26 October 2019 the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party proposed introducing a bill in the House of Commons to hold a general election on 9 December 2019. This proposal was initially rejected by the Boris Johnson government as a "gimmick", owing to a vote on an early election under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (FTPA) which was to be held on 28 October 2019.
Two previous attempts in September to get a favourable vote for an early election had failed, and the government said it would keep its options open should the third early election motion fail to pass. It did fail, as the required two-thirds majority was not achieved, leaving the government still unable to trigger an election.
On 29 October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson introduced an election bill to the House of Commons to circumvent the FTPA and trigger a general election. Only a simple majority of MPs was needed for the Bill to pass. The election date set in the Bill was Thursday, 12 December 2019. After amendments to change the proposed date were voted down, the Commons approved the Bill by a vote of 438 to 20.
Early Parliamentary General Election Bill Third Reading :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 29 October 2019 |
| | Aye | 439 / 638 |
| | No | 22 / 638 |
| | Abstentions | 177 / 638 |
| Sources: Votes in Parliament |||

## The Act

The key provisions of the Act, which contained only two sections, are section 1, subsections (1) and (2):
   * (1) An early parliamentary general election is to take place on 12 December 2019 in consequence of the passing of this Act.
   * (2) That day is to be treated as a polling day appointed under section 2(7) of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.
Although the Act referred to the FTPA, it did not amend it. Consequently, under FTPA section 1(3), following the 2019 election the next election was scheduled for the first Thursday in May (2 May) 2024.

### Repeal of FTPA

After FTPA's repeal under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, the DCPA provides for a parliamentary term to automatically end five years after the day Parliament has first been called, if it has not been dissolved sooner, and instead called for the 2020s' first general election to be held 25 working days following the dissolution. In terms of dates, the 58th Parliament, which first met on 17 December 2019, was scheduled to be dissolved on the same day in 2024, and the next parliamentary polling day was scheduled for no later than 28 January 2025. Instead, its dissolution was on 30 May 2024 and that year's election was held on 4 July.

## Outcome

Parliament was dissolved on 6 November.
The election produced an overall majority of 80 seats for the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The Conservatives won 365 seats, an increase of 48, while the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, won 202, a loss of 60. Following the result, Corbyn announced that he would stand down as Labour Party leader early in 2020.
| Parties | Parties | Seats | Change |
| | Conservative Party | 365 | 48 |
| | Labour Party | 202 | 60 |
| | Scottish National Party | 48 | 13 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 11 | 1 |
| | Plaid Cymru | 4 | |
| | Green Party | 1 | |
| | Brexit Party | 0 | New party |
| | Others | 19 | |
| Conservative overall majority of 80 ||||