The Coronavirus Act,which received Royal Assent on 25 March 2020, made emergency provisions in relation to the coronavirus. This briefing examines the provisions related to postponing local elections due in May 2020 until May 2021.
Coronavirus Act: Elections (206 KB, PDF)
This briefing paper is one of a collection of Commons Library briefings on the Coronavirus Bill (the Bill). It deals with postponing the May 2020 elections. The other briefing papers, dealing with other parts of the Bill and general background, are available on the Commons Library website (Coronavirus Bill: Overview).
This briefing explains how the 2020 polls due to take place in England and Wales in were delayed by the Coronavirus Act 2020. The briefing also includes information on subsequent legislation relevant to elections that was made as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
On 13 March 2020 the Government confirmed that the local elections in England and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales, due to take place on 7 May 2020, would be postponed for a year. This was as a result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The elections scheduled to take place were for:
The Coronavirus Act makes provision to delay the decennial electoral registration canvas that was due in Northern Ireland this year. The Bill also allows for unscheduled electoral events, such as by-elections in devolved elections and recall of MP petitions, to be delayed. No scheduled local elections were due to take place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The postponements of any of these electoral events cannot go beyond 6 May 2021.
The Bill was introduced on Thursday 19 March 2020 and passed all its Commons stages on Monday 23 March. The Lords stages of the Bill were held on 24 and 25 March. The Coronavirus Act 2020 gained Royal Assent on 25 March 2020.
This briefing summarises the main points of the Act relating to elections, including amendments made at Committee stage in the House of Commons. The Government also released a statement which also outlined the main provisions of the Bill in relation to postponing elections.
Coronavirus Act: Elections (206 KB, PDF)
This paper discusses the way that Parliament scrutinises the Government's proposals for taxation, set out in the annual Budget statement. It looks at how this procedure may be affected by the timing of a General Election, and the decision in 2017 to move the Budget from the Spring to the Autumn. It also provides some suggestions for further reading.
British citizens living overseas are currently entitled to be registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections for up to 15 years in the constituency they were registered in before leaving the UK. The Government has committed to end the 15-year limit and introduce 'votes for life'. This Briefing Paper provides details of the provisions relating to overseas voters in the Representation of the People Act 1985 and the proposals for change. It also summarises earlier attempts to change the 15 year rule.
This briefing includes latest figures on the proportion of women in Parliament and elected bodies across the UK and throughout the world, as well as information on women in UK public life.
