Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022

Representation of the People Act 1985 (c. 50) U.K.

9 (1) Section 20 of the Representation of the People Act 1985 (demise of the Crown and parliamentary elections etc) is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1)—

(a) after “proclamation” insert “dissolving Parliament or”;

(b) omit “(see section 3(4) of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011)”.

(3) In subsection (2)—

(a) for “(6)” substitute “(6A)”;

(b) for paragraphs (a) and (b) substitute “at any time between the dissolution of Parliament and the polling day for the next parliamentary general election (“the current election”),”.

(4) After subsection (3) insert—

“(3A) But the Sovereign may by royal proclamation, made on the advice of the Privy Council, appoint an alternative polling day, in place of the day that would otherwise have been the polling day under subsection (3)(a) (“the subsection (3)(a) polling day”), which may be—

(a) no earlier than the 7th day before the subsection (3)(a) polling day, and

(b) no later than the 7th day after the subsection (3)(a) polling day.

(3B) If an alternative polling day is appointed under subsection (3A), subsection (3) applies as if—

(a) for paragraph (a) there were substituted—

“(a) the polling day shall be the day appointed by the proclamation under subsection (3A);”;

(b) in paragraph (b)—

(i) in a case where the alternative polling day is before the subsection (3)(a) polling day, for “13 days” there were substituted “x days” where x is 13 minus the number of days that the alternative polling day is before the subsection (3)(a) polling day;

(ii) in a case where the alternative polling day is after the subsection (3)(a) polling day, for “13 days” there were substituted “y days” where y is 13 plus the number of days that the alternative polling day is after the subsection (3)(a) polling day.”

(5) Omit subsection (4).

(6) After subsection (6) insert—

“(6A) But the Sovereign may by royal proclamation, made on the advice of the Privy Council, appoint an alternative day for the meeting of the new Parliament, in place of the day that would otherwise have been the day for the meeting of the new Parliament under subsection (6).”

(7) In subsection (7), for “by section 3(1) of the 2011 Act, subsections (2) to (6)” substitute “, subsections (2) to (6A)”.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. para. 9 in force at Royal Assent, see s. 6(3)