Member of Parliament (UK): Difference between revisions
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== | ==Getting elected== | ||
In principle, anyone can become a Member of Parliament provided that he or she is aged 18 or over, a citizen of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, and not a disqualified person (such as a government employee, or a member of the House of Lords). All that is necessary to stand for election is a nomination paper signed by ten voters, and a £500 deposit. Membership of a political party is not necessary, but it is almost impossible to mount an effective election campaign without party support. Selection as a party candidate is a two-stage process because the central organisations of United Kingdom political parties maintain lists of people who have passed their vetting procedures, from which local party committees are free to choose their prospective parliamentary candidates | |||
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[2], and anyone with those qualifications can stand for election who has been nominated by ten registered electors | |||
To be a candidate, you need to have a nomination form signed by 10 voters from that constituency. The papers must be returned by 19 April, along with a £500 deposit. Candidates do not need to be a member of a political party. The main parties have their own selection methods, usually involving central lists of candidates and votes of local members. To be a candidate, you need to have a nomination form signed by 10 voters from that constituency. The papers must be returned by 19 April, along with a £500 deposit. Candidates do not need to be a member of a political party. The main parties have their own selection methods, usually involving central lists of candidates and votes of local members. Registered parties are restricted in their spending for the 365 days before the election. Parties can spend up to £30,000 for each seat they contest - which adds up to £19,380,000 if they fight every constituency. They are also permitted to have spent another £3.51m on their European elections campaigns last year - provided they had candidates in every region. | To be a candidate, you need to have a nomination form signed by 10 voters from that constituency. The papers must be returned by 19 April, along with a £500 deposit. Candidates do not need to be a member of a political party. The main parties have their own selection methods, usually involving central lists of candidates and votes of local members. To be a candidate, you need to have a nomination form signed by 10 voters from that constituency. The papers must be returned by 19 April, along with a £500 deposit. Candidates do not need to be a member of a political party. The main parties have their own selection methods, usually involving central lists of candidates and votes of local members. Registered parties are restricted in their spending for the 365 days before the election. Parties can spend up to £30,000 for each seat they contest - which adds up to £19,380,000 if they fight every constituency. They are also permitted to have spent another £3.51m on their European elections campaigns last year - provided they had candidates in every region. | ||
Revision as of 01:05, 25 February 2012
The professional career of a Member of Parliament normally begins when he or she finds a parliamentary constituency in which the selection committee of the local branch of a political party is willing to adopt him or her as their prospective parliamentary candidate. After being elected to the House of Commons, parliamentary loyalties are acquired, but constituency loyalties cannot be set aside.
Getting elected
In principle, anyone can become a Member of Parliament provided that he or she is aged 18 or over, a citizen of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland, and not a disqualified person (such as a government employee, or a member of the House of Lords). All that is necessary to stand for election is a nomination paper signed by ten voters, and a £500 deposit. Membership of a political party is not necessary, but it is almost impossible to mount an effective election campaign without party support. Selection as a party candidate is a two-stage process because the central organisations of United Kingdom political parties maintain lists of people who have passed their vetting procedures, from which local party committees are free to choose their prospective parliamentary candidates