Speculation has mounted over when the next General Election might take place – and it could be just around the corner.
At the start of the year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he expected to go to the polls “in the second half” of 2024, however there are now rumours that it will be as soon as July 4. No 10 have yet to squash the guesswork, despite having several opportunities to do so.
In today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn raised the issue, saying: “Speculation is rife, so I think the public deserve a clear answer to a simple question… does the Prime Minister intend to call a summer general election or is he feart?”
Instead of damping down or telling the world this was just a matter of the Westminster rumour mill going into overdrive, Mr Sunak responded with laughter. He said: “There is – spoiler alert – going to be a general election in the second half of this year.
“At that moment, the British people will in fact see the truth about the honourable gentleman opposite me, because that will be the choice at the next election Mr Speaker, a party that is not able to say to the country what they would do, a party that would put at risk our hard-earned economic stability, or the Conservatives that are delivering a secure future for our United Kingdom.”
But if there is an election this summer and you have already made plans to be away from home or even overseas, how do you cast your all-important vote?
Postal or proxy votes
There are a couple of options if you’ll be abroad temporarily on election day, for example on holiday or a work trip. For voters in England, Scotland or Wales, you can arrange to vote by post or for someone else to vote for you (vote by proxy), but you’ll need to make arrangements in advance.
You can apply to vote by proxy if the election or referendum is less than two weeks away and you have not made arrangements yet, the Gov.uk website states. Your postal ballot will be sent to the address you’ve chosen no earlier than 16 days before the election. You need to return your ballot before 10pm on polling day.
You can apply for a proxy vote online on the Government’s website here. You must apply by 5pm, six working days before election day in England, Scotland or Wales. You can ask anyone to act as your proxy – as long as they are registered to vote, are allowed to vote in the type of election taking place, can vote in the polling station stated on your poll card.
Meanwhile, you can apply to vote by post on the Government’s website here. When voting by post, you should mark your vote on your ballot paper in secret, fill in the postal voting statement, put the ballot and statement in the envelope provided, seal the envelope yourself, the Gov.uk website states.