Labour to back move to abolish the FTPA

- The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (2011) is set to be abolished with the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill (2021)
- The power to dissolve Parliament will be restored to the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister
- This means that, assuming the bill passes, the PM will again have the power to decide when to call a General Election

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57090451



Quote Originally Posted by BBC News
The government has set in motion its plan for prime ministers to regain the power to call general elections whenever they like.

Currently voting takes place every five years on a set date - unless two-thirds of MPs back a change of timing or a government loses a no-confidence vote.

As things stand, the next election is due to happen on 2 May, 2024.

But a bill - published on Wednesday and also backed by the Labour Party - aims to remove fixed dates.

Prime ministers had the power to decide when general elections were held until the law changed under the coalition government in 2011.

This happened as the then-Prime Minister, David Cameron, sought to reassure his Liberal Democrat partners that he would not call an early vote.

The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Bill would repeal the 2011 Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (FTPA).

It states that the prime minister's old powers would be "exercisable again, as if the FTPA "had never been enacted".
Excellent news, really been looking forward to this legislation coming to Parliament.

The FTPA was a bad idea to begin with was my opinion, and this was confirmed during the Brexit gridlock in 2019 when we had a Parliament that was unwilling to remove and replace the government, but was also unwilling to call a general election or pass legislation. It removed accountability.

If a government cannot command a majority in the House of Commons, it must always have the option of calling a GE.

Thoughts?