Although anyone who’s been watching British politics closely for the past six months would be forgiven for thinking it had already started, the general election campaign officially begins today.
It is the beginning of what is called the “long campaign”, which runs from today until Whitehall goes into “purdah” (when the government is restricted on its use of the civil service) and parliament dissolves for the official pre-election period on 30 March. That is when the “short campaign” begins. The election itself will be held on 7 May 2015.
As the long campaign begins, new rules apply:
– Campaign spending in each constituency is strictly limited, and prospective parliamentary candidates have to keep a record of all their expenses to report to the Electoral Commission
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– The pre-candidacy spending limit is now £30,700 (this changes to £8,700 in the short campaign)
– The spending limit per voter is 9p in county constituencies
– The spending limit per voter is 6p per voter in borough constituencies
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– Candidates must now declare all donations of more than £50 they receive for spending on election campaigning
Limits on the expenditure of political parties began in May this year; those that stand candidates in all 650 constituencies are permitted a maximum spend of £19.5m – £30,000 per seat. This election campaign also marks the first time charities and other organisations that aren’t political parties are restricted on what they spend on campaign spending.
The first time Britain has seen a fixed-term parliament of five years has meant the build-up to May 2015 has already felt like a particularly long campaign. The addition of a surprise number of by-elections has added to the feeling of a perpetual election campaign. Politicians and voters alike will most likely be relieved now the campaign begins in earnest – because it means we’re closer to the end.