UK Prospective Parliamentary Candidates

In a General Election, the residents of each UK parliamentary constituency elect one Member of Parliament to represent them in the House of Commons.

Each party can nominate a maximum of one candidate per constituency, often chosen from a shortlist of potential candidates in a selection contest.

Candidates who wish to stand for election must submit their nomination papers within one week after the notice of election has been published (i.e. up to 19 working days before the poll).

However, candidates usually start their campaigning several months earlier, and their intention to stand for election will often be announced in a local newspaper.

There are several places where parliamentary candidates are collected:

Some political parties maintain their own lists of prospective parliamentary candidates:

As well as prospective parliamentary candidates, some MPs will be contesting their seats again, and some will be standing down.