Don't give prime ministers the power to choose election date, say MPs

[patman post]

The term for a government with an overall majority should normally be 5 years, but it wouldn't be fixed.  [That's how things used to be.]

The term for a minority government (at time of election) should be only 3 years, regardless of any coalitions or voting pacts.  [This would be an alteration.]

Parliament should have the power to force a general election through a vote of no confidence.  [The current situation.]

If the governing party changes its leader, there should be a general election within 2 years of that change.  [This would be an alteration.]

A prime minister should be allowed to choose the date of an election after the government has been in office for 3 years (2 years in the case of a minority government)  [This would be a partial alteration.]

What benefits or improvements do you see your tinkering bringing...?

[HDQQ]

The term for a government with an overall majority should normally be 5 years, but it wouldn't be fixed.  [That's how things used to be.]

The term for a minority government (at time of election) should be only 3 years, regardless of any coalitions or voting pacts.  [This would be an alteration.]

Parliament should have the power to force a general election through a vote of no confidence.  [The current situation.]

If the governing party changes its leader, there should be a general election within 2 years of that change.  [This would be an alteration.]

A prime minister should be allowed to choose the date of an election after the government has been in office for 3 years (2 years in the case of a minority government)  [This would be a partial alteration.]

[Sheepy]

In my view, the FTPA gives greater stability — govt and MPs can concentrate on running the country and not get detracted by continual manoeuvring for power.
But the FTPA also provides two ways to call an election earlier: (1) a commons vote of no confidence in the government, which still requires only a simple majority of those voting and (2) a vote in favour of an earlier election by two thirds of the total membership of the Commons. The act just limits the amount of power the PM has to decide to call an election by himself.
HM had the power to dissolve Parliament only if the govt/PM "advised her to...

i thought you might be out riding taxis in joy that the Queen has been finally booted out of Barbados.

[patman post]

In my view, the FTPA gives greater stability — govt and MPs can concentrate on running the country and not get detracted by continual manoeuvring for power.
But the FTPA also provides two ways to call an election earlier: (1) a commons vote of no confidence in the government, which still requires only a simple majority of those voting and (2) a vote in favour of an earlier election by two thirds of the total membership of the Commons. The act just limits the amount of power the PM has to decide to call an election by himself.
HM had the power to dissolve Parliament only if the govt/PM "advised her to...

[johnofgwent]

The Fixed Term Parliaments Act is a total bloody disaster and an act of treason and high treason too.

I would remind everyone that in law Her Majesty's Prime Minister is NOT required to be an elected MP as their role in the house is to be the person chosen by the sovereign to go to that place and there form, from those elected to public office, a government willing to govern in their majesty's name, opposed by a LOYAL opposition.

Nick Clegg's Fixed Term Parliaments Act strips Her Brittanic Majesty's Prime Minister from performing their first and most constitutionally sacred duty, which is to require an audience at Their Majesty's earliest possible convenience the purpose of which is to regretfully admit they are no longer able to lead an effective government in her name, tender their resignation as Prime Minister and request the Sovereign dissolve the Parliament and call for a new election.

The opponents of Brexit chose to use this poisonous instrument to go against the previously stated democratic will of the majority of the people and BoJo's massive majority and the destruction of the labour grip on areas not seen in tory hands since the whig's disastrous decisions on Home Rule For Ireland bears witness to the degree that the people are pissed off with such mockery of democracy.

"MP's" who wish to deny the people the right to declare Who Governs Britain should be cast from their seats and thrown in the Thames from the Terrace at the flood tide, with an amount equal to their expense claims for the last month counted out in pennies, placed in a cloth bag and affixed to their leg by a leg iron.

[Barry]

Yes, the FTPA should be repealed. It is an unnecessary stranglehold on Parliament devised by Cameron and Clegg to stop their coalition glue falling apart.

[papasmurf]

Apparently a few people seem to think Bojo-The-Clown is trying to stay Prime Minister until he dies. (I won't even bother to link to that.)

Related BBC link, more at link:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54161946

Don't give prime ministers the power to choose election date, say MPs
15 September 2020

The power to choose the date of the next general election should not be handed back to prime ministers, a cross party committee of MPs has said.

Boris Johnson is committed to scrapping the 2011 Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.

He blames it for prolonging the Brexit paralysis that gripped Parliament last year.

But MPs looking into the issue say there should be no return to the days when the date of the next election was a matter for the government alone.

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee says that would give an unfair advantage to the party in power.

Under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, the next UK general election will be on Thursday, 2 May 2024 - but Mr Johnson is seeking the power to go to the country before that date if he wants to.