The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 creates a five year period between general elections. Early elections may only be held in specified circumstances. A joint committee has been appointed to undertake a statutory review of the Act and undertake pre-legislative scrutiny of Government proposals to repeal the Act.
Documents to download
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UK parliamentary by-elections since 1945 (147 KB, PDF)
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Supporting documents
- UK parliamentary by-elections since 1945 (71 KB, Excel Spreadsheet) (71 KB, Excel Spreadsheet)
Note: This chart is a available in the spreadsheet that can be downloaded below.
When do by-elections happen?
A by-election occurs when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant during the lifetime of a Parliament (ie between general elections), because the sitting MP dies, resigns, is elevated to the peerage, or becomes ineligible to sit for some other reason. There have been four by-elections in the current 2017 Parliament.
Further information
The by-elections page of the Parliament website provides detailed information on results, including the number of votes cast and percentage share of the vote.
See the Commons briefing on UK Election Statistics: 1918–2010 for a list of all by-elections in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Parliament: facts and figures
This series of publications contains data on various subjects relating to Parliament and Government. Topics include legislation, MPs, select committees, debates, divisions and Parliamentary procedure.
Feedback
Please send any comments or corrections to the Parliament & Constitution Centre. Suggestions for new lists welcomed.
Related Links
Documents to download
-
UK parliamentary by-elections since 1945 (147 KB, PDF)
-
Supporting documents
- UK parliamentary by-elections since 1945 (71 KB, Excel Spreadsheet) (71 KB, Excel Spreadsheet)
Related posts
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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.
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This landing page features Commons Library briefings on international elections.
