‘Things were different in 2010. If schools closed and households found themselves stuck indoors, or unable to travel abroad, it was due to snowstorms and erupting Icelandic volcanoes, not because of a pandemic. Moreover, if the then Prime Minister wished to dissolve Parliament, he did not need to adhere to the requirements of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, which fixed parliamentary terms to five years, allowing for early parliamentary general elections either following a vote of two-thirds of the House of Commons in favour of an early parliamentary general election, or following a vote of no confidence. Instead, so the draft Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 (Repeal) Bill would have us believe, the Prime Minister could dissolve Parliament and instigate a new general election by use of a prerogative power, at a date of his choosing unchecked by the courts, subject only to ensuring Parliament did not exceed its maximum term of five years.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 4th December 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
