The general election elects Members of Parliament - or MPs - to the House of Commons (also referred to as 'Westminster').
The UK is divided into 650 areas, called constituencies, and each of these elects one MP to represent local residents.
Most candidates represent a political party, but some stand as independents.
How does voting work?
In a general election, each person has one vote.
On election day, most registered voters visit their local polling station. A list of candidates representing a political party or independent interests is presented. The voter, in a private booth, places an x in the box of the preferred candidate. Some people vote by post in advance.
Under a system called "first past the post", the candidate who gets the most votes becomes the MP for that area.
Will I need photo ID to vote at the general election?
Yes. Since May 2023, voters have to show a valid form of photo ID at polling stations to vote in person at a general election.
There are 22 acceptable forms of ID, including:
passports
driving licences
Older or Disabled Person's bus passes
Oyster 60+ cards
You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.
Alternatively, anyone registered to vote without the correct ID - or who no longer looks like their photo - can apply for a free document called a voter authority certificate.
The deadline to apply for a voter authority certificate to use in the general election is 17:00 on Wednesday 26 June.
If you realise you do not have valid ID after this deadline, you can apply for an emergency proxy vote up until 17:00 on polling day.
Voters in Northern Ireland can use the Electoral Identity Card.
How can I find out about my constituency?
This election will be fought on new constituency boundaries, redrawn to reflect population changes and to try to even out voter numbers in each area.
Use our tool to find out which constituency you are in.
New boundaries: What is happening to my constituency?
What happens after the election results are announced?
The King asks the leader of the party with the most MPs to become Prime Minister and to form a government.
The party with the second highest number of MPs becomes the opposition and its leader, the Leader of the Opposition.
If no party ends up with a majority of MPs - meaning it cannot pass legislation with just its own MPs - the result is a hung parliament.
At this point, the largest party might decide to form a coalition with another party or operate as a minority government, relying on votes from other parties to pass any laws.
Anyone on the electoral register aged 18 or over on polling day can vote as long as they are a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a Republic of Ireland citizen with a UK address.
UK citizens who live abroad can register to vote in the constituency where they previously lived or were on the electoral roll as long as they are not legally excluded from voting.
Those who cannot vote in general elections include prisoners serving a sentence in jail, and peers from the House of Lords.
The deadline to register to vote in the general election is 23:59 BST on Tuesday 18 June.
How can I vote if I am on holiday?
Polling stations are open between 07:00 and 22:00 on election day.
If you have already registered and know that you will not be able to vote in person apply for a postal vote.
It doesn't matter what the reason is - holidays, work or simply finding mailing your vote easier - but you need to prove your identity when applying.
The deadline to apply for a postal vote for the general election is 17:00 on Wednesday 19 June.
Alternatively you can nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf. You and your proxy must both be registered to vote.
The rules for voting by proxy have changed. If you applied for a proxy vote before 31 October 2023, this has expired and you need to apply again.
The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the general election is 17:00 on Wednesday 26 June.
You can also request an emergency proxy vote after this deadline if last-minute work commitments or a medical emergency mean you cannot vote in person. You can apply for this up to 17:00 on polling day.
The deadline to apply for a postal or proxy vote in Northern Ireland is 17:00 on Friday 14 June 2024.
What happens to Parliament and MPs before the election?
The prime minister formally asks the King to "dissolve" Parliament - the official term for closing it ahead of an election.
This will happen on Thursday 30 May.
MPs lose their status and have to campaign for re-election if they wish to carry on.
More than 100 MPs have said they will stand down at the next election.
Government also enters a pre-election period - previously known as "purdah" - which restricts ministerial and departmental activity during the campaign.
How often are general elections held?
The latest a Parliament can be dissolved for a general election is on the fifth anniversary of the day it first met.
For the current Parliament, that date was 17 December 2024.
However, 25 working days are then allowed to prepare for the election.
So the next election had to be held by 28 January 2025.
The prime minister can call the election at a time of their choosing, within the five-year period.
Mr Sunak became prime minister on 25 October 2022.
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