UK Parliament Dissolution 2024: How it Happened & Why it Matters

The Bench Report

This episode explores how the UK Parliament ends before a general election, a process called dissolution. We'll focus on the May 2024 dissolution, which was the first under the royal prerogative since 2010. Historically, the Monarch dissolved Parliament on the Prime Minister's request. This changed between 2011 and 2022 with the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, which set specific rules for dissolution. The 2022 Act brought back the old system. Learn the steps involved in 2024, from the Prime Minister's request to the King to the sealing of the official Proclamation.

Key Takeaways:

• Dissolution is the formal end of a Parliament, leaving all House of Commons seats empty before an election.
• The 2024 dissolution was based on the royal prerogative, meaning the King exercised the power following a request from the Prime Minister.
• The process began with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's request to the King on 22 May 2024.
• The legal dissolution happened on 30 May 2024, when the King signed a Proclamation at the Privy Council, which was then sealed by the Crown Office.
• This Proclamation triggered the 25-day timetable leading to the general election on 4 July 2024.
• Between 2011 and 2022, dissolution was governed by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, which allowed for early elections only under specific conditions like a two-thirds vote or a no-confidence motion.
• The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 repealed the 2011 Act and aimed to "revive" the historical prerogative powers.
• There is an academic debate about whether the prerogative power was truly revived or is now effectively based in statute.

Definitions

• Dissolution: The formal end of a Parliament before a general election, making all MP seats vacant.
• Royal Prerogative: Historically, the legal power to dissolve Parliament exercised by the Monarch on the Prime Minister's advice.

Source: Dissolution of Parliament: recent developments
Research Briefing
Published Wednesday, 21 May, 2025

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No outside chatter: source material only taken from Hansard and the Parliament UK website.

Contains Parliamentary information repurposed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.