The Prime Minister has announced that the UK General Election will be on Thursday 04 July 2024.
Key dates are as follows:
- The UK Parliament will be prorogued on Friday 24 May 2024. This means that the current Parliamentary session will end (there was already a planned Whitsun Recess 24 May to 02 June 2024)
- The UK Parliament will be dissolved on Thursday 30 May
- The General Election will take place on 04 July 2024
- The new UK Parliament meets on Tuesday 09 July 2024
- The State Opening of Parliament will be on Wednesday 17 July 2024
For Bookkeepers
On 30 May 2024, the UK Parliament is dissolved which means that all seats in the House of Commons become vacant and MPs and peers (in the House of Lords) are ‘discharged’ of their duties.
This is the first dissolution proclamation since April 2010. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 meant that dissolution was a statutory matter, however, this Act was repealed by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 and means that the proclamation must be authorised by the King.
There are two days of UK Parliamentary ‘wash-up’ which is the term used for progressing outstanding legislation. It is likely that many outstanding Bills will fall away, however, there are two that should make it though:
1. The Private Members Paternity Leave (Bereavement) Bill. This makes provision for paternity leave to be available in the instance that the mother or Primary Adopter of the child dies
2. The UK Government Finance (No. 2) Bill. This is important as, for one thing, it sets the Income Tax rates for tax year 2024/25 and legislates for changes to the threshold increase (from £60,000 and £80,000) for liability to the High Income Child Benefit Charge
We are now in a position of pre-Election purdah which means that Government departments and civil servants must follow guidance ensuring that no announcements or decisions are made which may influence voting intentions.
Wages Wednesday on 05 June 2024 will update you on the legislation that has and hasn’t made it through and how this impacts bookkeepers.
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