MEMBERS' REFERENCE SERVICE LARRDIS LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT, NEW DELHI REFERENCE NOTE No.29/RN/Ref./July/2017 1 For the use of Members of Parliament NOT FOR PUBLICATION RECENT GENERAL ELECTIONS IN BRITAIN Prepared by Smt. Neelam Sethi, Additional Director and Shri Abhishek Thakur, SLA of Lok Sabha Secretariat under the supervision of Shri Atul Kaushik, Additional Secretary, Smt. Kalpana Sharma, Joint Secretary and Shri C.N. Sathyanathan, Director.-------------------------------- ------------------------------------- The Reference Note is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication. This Service is not to be quoted as the source of information as it is based on the sources indicated at the end/in the text. 1 Recent General Elections in Britain In Britain general election is an opportunity for people in every part of the UK to choose their MP(Total Number of MP's are 650) - the person who will represent their local area (constituency) in the House of Commons for up to five years. There is normally a choice of several candidates in each constituency, some of which are the local candidates for national political parties. People can only vote for one of the candidates and the candidate that receives most votes becomes their MP1. The candidates standing for elections are usually drawn from political parties, but can also stand as independents. The leader of the political party with the most MP's after the election is expected to be asked by the Queen to become Prime Minister and form a government to run the country. The leader of the political party with the second highest number of MP's normally becomes leader of the opposition2. Recent General Election in Britain General Election in Britain was recently held on 8 June 2017. UK Prime Minister Theresa May called an early general election in June-three years earlier than schedule. Mrs. May's official reason for holding and election was to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations. Mrs. May's Conservative Party had a big opinion poll lead over Labour, so she was hoping that early general election would be in favor of her party. 1 http://www.parliament.uk What is a general election? 2 http://www.bbc.com 2 UK 'Snap' Election or 'Surprise' Election Britain's General Election on 8th June,2017 was a snap/surprise elections because it was held three years earlier than schedule. In Britain Prime Minister used to be free to hold an election whenever they felt like it. But under the 2011 Fixed Term Parliaments Act, a general election is supposed to take place every Five years on the first Thursday in May. Which is why the next one was scheduled for May 2020. In Britain election can be called ahead of scheduled for two reasons: (i) If there is a vote of "no confidence" in the current government or (ii) If MP's vote for an early elections by a two-thirds majority. Mrs. May chose the second option. which was overwhelmingly backed by MP'S by 522 votes to 13. http://www.bbc.com Britain elections Strength of Political Parties after the June 8,2017 General Election. The Conservatives have 330 seats, Labour-229, the Scottish National Party SNP- 54, the Lib Dems-9 and Plaid Cymu-3 seats. The Green Party has one MP and Others-4. For Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party have- 8 MPs, Sinn Fein-04, The Social Democratic and Labour Party-3 seats and the Ulster Unionist Party-2 seats. Four MPs sit as independents3. In the current elections Prime Minister May’s Tories Conservative party lost 12 seats in Parliament as compared to the earlier elections. They’re still the largest party, having won 318 out of 650 total seats, but no longer hold a majority. 3 http://www.bbc.com how do the parties currently stand 3 In the British system, this kind of situation, where no one party controls most of Parliament, is called a “hung Parliament.” Typically, it means that the largest party keeps control of the government, but cannot pass any major laws, a big challenge when she’s attempting to work out a complex Brexit deal with the European Union4. What Does The General Election Mean For Brexit Britain is still on course to officially leave the European Union on Friday 29th March 20195. The general election result has plunged Britain into political chaos just ten days before the Government was due to begin the all-important Brexit negotiations. Mrs May has said she will form a minority government that will lead Britain through Brexit talks. The Prime Minister told reporters: "This Government will guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks that begin in just 10 days and deliver on the will of the British people by taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union." Mrs May had a week to strike an official deal with the Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),to form a new government and sketch out a new vision for Brexit6. The chances of a softer Brexit could increase, with a weakened Government lead by Prime Minister May7. 4 /www.vox.com 5 www.bbc.com What Does The General Election Mean For Brexit 6 http://www.telegraph.co.uk How will the general election result affect Brexit 7 www.theguardian.com Brexit: UK general election result may have major impact on talks 4 The Brexit negotiations cover the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union leading up to Brexit, being the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, following the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in June 2016. The Brexit negotiating period began on 29 March 2017 when the United Kingdom served the withdrawal notice under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. The period for negotiation stated in Article 50 is two years from notification, unless an extension is agreed. What do 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit mean8: These terms have increasingly been used as debate focused on the terms of the UK's departure from the EU. There is no strict definition of either, but they are used to refer to the closeness of the UK's relationship with the EU post-Brexit. So at one extreme, "hard" Brexit could involve the UK refusing to compromise on issues like the free movement of people even if meant leaving the single market. At the other end of the scale, a "soft" Brexit might follow a similar path to Norway, which is a member of the single market and has to accept the free movement of people as a result of that. European leaders view on Brexit negotiation talks with Britain According to the European parliament, "For the moment, it appears that the two sides have different views on the sequencing and scope of the negotiations, and notably the cross-over between the withdrawal agreement and the structure of 8 BBC News 13 July 2017 Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU 5 future relations, and this divergence itself may be one of the first major challenges to overcome9." European leaders are insistent that Britain begins negotiation talks on 19 June. European Council president Donald Tusk told Mrs. May that there is "no time to lose" to start Brexit talks and finish process within the strict two-year timetable. EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has also expressed hopes there will be no delays. However, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator has said talks on Britain leaving should only begin when the UK is ready. Reacting to the result, Michel Barnier said "Brexit negotiations should start when (the) UK is ready. Timetable and EU positions are clear. Let's put our minds together on striking a deal"10. A hung parliament would plainly have an even greater impact on the talks, almost certainly delaying their start while a coalition government – of parties with perhaps very different approaches to Brexit – was formed in London and set about redefining the UK’s Brexit negotiating positions. With the two-year, article 50 clock now ticking, any delay to the start of the talks could leave the UK in difficulties down the line11. There are several clear bones of contention. The EU has made clear it expects “sufficient progress” to be made on the divorce deal – including the size of the UK’s exit bill, citizens’ rights and the border in Ireland – before it will begin to discuss a future trade deal12. 9 "UK withdrawal from the European Union" (PDF). European Parliament. March 2017 10 http://www.telegraph.co.uk How will the general election result affect Brexit 11 /www.theguardian.com/p 12 www.theguardian.com/p 6 Recent Developments: Ms May pledged the Brexit talks would not be derailed, but would start in 10 days’ time, to “deliver on the will of the British people by taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union”13. Negotiations officially began on 19 June 2017 when British Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis, arrived in Brussels to negotiate the Brexit terms with European Chief Negotiator for the United Kingdom Exiting the European Union, Michel Barnier14. The Government published details of its "Great Repeal Bill". Described by Theresa May as an "essential step" on the way to leaving the EU, it aims to ensure European law will no longer apply in the UK. The bill has been introduced to Parliament on 13th July, with the formal title of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. The repeal bill will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which took Britain into the EU and meant that European law took precedence over laws passed in the UK Parliament.