City Hall is preparing for the possibility of a General Election on the same day as the London Mayoral vote next year.
The Capital is set to elect the Mayor and London Assembly on 7 May 2020 – but with uncertainty around the date of the next national election, a clash remains possible, according to officials.
City Hall chief executive Mary Harpley, speaking at the GLA oversight committee, said she was “very clear” that the prospect of a General Election next May “remains a risk”. UK voters normally choose MPs every five years, meaning another election is not due until 2022.
But with a minority Conservative government relying on votes from the Democratic Unionist Party, and continuing parliamentary divisions over Brexit, the possibility of a snap General Election remains.
Labour Assembly Member Len Duvall, who chairs the GLA oversight committee, described the situation as “a disaster waiting to happen”.
Mr Duvall added that counting two major votes at the same time would only “add to the complexity on the day”.
Cover image by Garry Knight (Creative Commons).
