Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022

Key Points

• Dissolution now requires a Commons motion stating ‘that this present Parliament will be dissolved’ before an election can be called.
• The change transfers some control over dissolution from the monarch’s prerogative to Parliament via a clear procedural step.
• Amendments debated issues such as whether the Crown’s prerogative should be treated as personal to the monarch, recall if Parliament is prorogued, and updates to the Cabinet Manual; most of these detailed provisions were not enacted.
• Cabinet Manual updates are included to reflect the new dissolution framework and the repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.
• The bill’s journey showed broad government support with opposition parties raising concerns over details of how the power should operate.

Progress

The bill completed its passage and received Royal Assent on 24 March 2022, becoming law. It has moved through 15 parliamentary stages across both Houses and is now in force.

Voting

Across key votes, the government coalition voted in favour, while major opposition parties generally opposed the detailed provisions or preferred different safeguards. Some smaller parties and groups supported or mixed their stance. Sinn Féin abstained in measured votes, reflecting their approach to parliamentary procedures. The overall pattern shows broad government support with substantive objections focused on the exact design of dissolution powers.