The UK is holding its first July general election since 1945, with polling stations open from 07:00 to 22:00 BST on Thursday. The election will see around 46 million voters elect 650 members of parliament to the House of Commons. Parties are looking to secure over 326 seats in order to form a majority government. The results for each area or constituency will be declared overnight into Friday.
The election was called by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in May and is taking place under new constituency boundaries following a scheduled review to take account of changes in population. England has received an additional 10 MPs, taking its total seats to 543, while the number of seats in Wales has dropped by eight to 32, and the total for Scotland has fallen from 59 to 57. Northern Ireland remains the same with 18 seats.
The election also sees voters in England, Wales and Scotland having to show photo ID in order to vote in person for the first time. There are 22 acceptable forms of ID for voters, including passports, driving licenses and older or Disabled Person’s bus passes. In Northern Ireland, where voters have been required to show photo ID since 2003, there are nine valid forms of ID.
Voters also have the option to vote by post. Those who have already applied for a postal vote but have yet to return it can hand it into their local polling station by the close of the polls or into their local council office during office hours. Meanwhile, the BBC and other broadcasters must avoid reporting on election campaigns or issues while the polls are open.
After a legal alteration in 2022, around two million British citizens living abroad for over 15 years were able to register to vote. Anyone aged 18 or over who is registered and a British citizen or qualifying citizen of the Commonwealth or Republic of Ireland is allowed to vote. Registration closed on June 18th
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