How Do You Become a Member of Parliament?
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Legal Requirements
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The first hurdle to becoming a Member of Parliament (MP) is to pass the minimum legal requirements for the office. Candidates must be 18 or older and a citizen of the U.K., a Commonwealth country or the Republic of Ireland. Strictly speaking, that means citizens of Canada or South Africa could come to the U.K. and stand as candidates. A candidate must then get at least ten registered voters from the district he or she plans to run in, and then deposit 500 pounds. The deposit is a measure designed to discourage frivolous candidacies, and is returned only if the candidate polls at least 5 percent of the vote.
Party Candidacy
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A big boost to getting elected is to be a candidate for one of the major British political parties: Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Rising within a party to earning a MP candidacy is a mixture of hard work, putting time in, showing potential and making connections. This usually involves several unsuccessful stabs at becoming a candidate in a district where the party's influence is strong, or being sent to stand as a sure-to-lose candidate in a district where their influence is not. Tony Blair, for example, joined Labour in 1975. He made one failed stab at becoming a candidate, and then ran in a strongly Conservative district and lost, before finally earning enough political capital to be made a candidate in a district that he could win in 1983. Margaret Thatcher tried to become a candidate unsuccessfully several times and lost two elections when she did become a candidate in the 1950s, before finally meeting with success in 1958.
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Independents
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Independents (or those from small, new political parties) are sometimes elected to the House of Commons, but standing as an independent candidate greatly multiplies a candidate's election difficulties. They must do all of their own fund raising, and enjoy no support or affiliation from an established, "brand name" political party. It is a serious uphill struggle.
The Election
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There are two types of elections in the U.K.: general elections and by-elections. The former requires all districts across the country to hold an election for their MP. The Prime Minister is free to hold a general election at his or her own discretion, but is required to hold one at least once every five years. In practice, this means that the Prime Minister can wait until their party enjoys high poll ratings, call an election to solidify their hold on power and put off the next election for another five years. Obviously, it helps a first-time candidate to be running with the party in power during such a consolidation election, as they can ride their party's popularity into Parliament. The other election is a by-election, which is held to fill seats that have become vacant during the regular term.
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References
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