How A General Election Could Be Called Before 2024

However strong the moral or democratic argument that the people should have a say in the policies and personnel of our government, the procedures for obtaining a general election make it hard.

- John Rentoul

There are only two ways an early election can be held. One is that the prime minister says so. The other is that the government loses a vote of confidence in the House of Commons. So that would mean that Liz Truss or her successor would have to call an election; or enough Conservative MPs would have to vote for a motion of no confidence tabled by Keir Starmer to overcome the government’s majority.

Truss has said that there will be no election until 2024, but if she is replaced, her successor might want to call an election before then. New prime ministers tend to want their own personal mandate from the people, but the opinion-poll picture would have to be transformed before such a decision would become likely.