Wednesday 19 April 2017

Parliament votes by 522-13 for a general election on June 8 - supported by Conservatives and most of Labour MPs

Most of labour voted for the general election with the Conservative party, albeit 9 labour MPs like Blyth MP Ronnie Campbell voted against an early election. One lib dem, from southport, announced he would not be running again at this election, as Ken Clarke confirmed he would run again but George Osborne has decided to stand down. SNP abstained whilst seeking an alliance with labour and the liberals against Mrs May.
Three labour MPs from the north east, my neighbour Pat Glass, Tom Blenkinsopp in Middlesbrough, and Iain Wright from Hartlepool, have announced they are also standing down.
The bbc take on the election is here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39631768
I have included the key Q+A

Who is allowed to vote?

Basically, if you're aged 18 or over on election day, registered to vote and a British citizen you can vote. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland resident in the UK and citizens of qualifying Commonwealth states resident in the UK can also vote if they are over 18 and registered to vote.

What if I live abroad?

British citizens living abroad can register online to vote as an "overseas voter" if they have been registered to vote in the UK in the past 15 years. 

How do I register to vote?

To vote in a general election you must be registered to vote. Registration is open throughout the year, although there will be a deadline for registering to vote at this general election once the date has officially been confirmed by Parliament. 
Voters can check if they are already registered by contacting their local electoral registration office using the Electoral Commission's website
People in England, Wales and Scotland can register to vote online, or download the forms to register by post, from the government's website. Voters in Northern Ireland use a different form that is returned to their local Area Electoral Office.

When is the deadline to register to vote?

Assuming you are eligible, you can register any time but be aware that there will be a deadline. The deadline to register for the last general election was 12 working days before people went to the polls. Assuming we follow the same timetable, the deadline would be 22 May.
You can even get yourself on the register if you are 16 or 17 but you will have to have turned 18 before 8 June to actually be eligible to vote.

What if I'm on holiday?

You can vote either by post or by proxy - that is appoint someone else to register your vote on your behalf. To do that you can download the form here. Whoever you nominate must be eligible to vote in the election themselves.
If you want to post it, you need to apply 11 working days before the election - in this case 24 May.

Are there going to be any boundary changes in this election?

No. They were not due to be introduced until 2020. A public consultation is under way with final proposals set to made in 2018.