What it is
UK Parliamentary elections, also known as general elections, must be held within approximately 5 years of the previous general election.
When you vote in a UK Parliamentary election, you’re voting for a Member of Parliament (MP) for the UK House of Commons.
There are 650 MPs elected across the UK – Scotland has 57 of these.
Renfrewshire is represented by 2 MPs, covering 2 constituencies:
- Paisley and Renfrewshire North
- Paisley and Renfrewshire South.
MPs represent you in the UK Parliament.
They consider and propose new laws on issues that the UK Parliament controls.
Who can vote in a UK Parliamentary election
To vote in a UK Parliamentary election, you must:
- be registered to vote
- be aged 18 or older on the day of the election (‘polling day’).
- be a British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen
- be registered at an address in the UK or living abroad and registered as an overseas voter
- not be legally excluded from voting – prisoners serving a sentence for a conviction cannot vote.
Voter ID
You’ll need to bring photo identification to a polling station to cast your vote in a UK Parliamentary election.
Find out more about voter ID and acceptable photo identification.
You do not need to provide photographic identification when voting at a polling station in Scottish Parliamentary or local government (council) elections.
How MPs are elected
MPs are elected using the first past the post system.
This means you vote for one candidate in your local area – your constituency.
The candidate with the most votes is elected as your MP.
When the next UK Parliamentary election will take place
The next UK Parliamentary election must be called by August 2029, but the prime minister can choose to hold it at any point before this.
Previous UK Parliamentary election results
The most recent UK Parliamentary election took place on Thursday 4 July 2024.