General Election 2024: All you need to know about July 4 election in Liverpool - candidates, voting, polls

Voters across the Liverpool City Region - and the rest of the UK - will head to the polling stations today to participate in the General Election.

Rules state the election had to be held by January 2025, however, Rishi Sunak announced in May that it would be held on Thursday, July 4, 2024, with the dissolution of Parliament on 30 May.

Millions of registered electors will exercise their right to vote, choosing who they think should represent their constituency as Member of Parliament (MP) for the next five years. The political party with the most seats - a Commons Majority - will form the next government. Below is everything you need to know as a Liverpool resident voting in the 2024 General Election.

How does the UK electoral system work?

Registered electors will each vote for one candidate standing for election in their constituency. The candidate who receives more votes than their competitors (not the majority of votes) will win the seat and become the constituency’s Member of Parliament.

This voting system, called first-past-the-post, is criticised by some as it means votes are ‘wasted’, e.g. if the Labour candidate received 150 votes and the Green candidate received 149, the Labour candidate would become the MP while the Green votes would not contribute to the overall election. This view is often expressed in Liverpool as all of its constituencies have been a Labour stronghold - by large majorities - for decades, causing some electors to choose to abstain from voting altogether.

The House of Commons is then made up of 650 MPs - most of which represent a political party - and the leader of the party with the most elected MPs - a majority (more than all the other parties combined) - after a General Election will become Prime Minister and form the government that will run the country for the next five years. The leader of the party with the second highest number of MPs becomes the Leader of the Opposition.

Parliamentary seats being contested in Liverpool

Liverpool has five parliamentary constituencies, each represented by an elected Member of Parliament (MP). Depending on where you live in the city, you will vote for a specific person - who will stand on behalf of a political party or as an independent candidate - to represent your constituency. Below are the five Parliamentary seats being contested:

• Liverpool Garston
• Liverpool Riverside
• Liverpool Walton
• Liverpool Wavertree
• Liverpool West Derby

Who is standing for election in each Liverpool constituency?

Liverpool Garston

Garston was represented by Labour party MP, Maria Eagle prior to the dissolution of parliament. She has been the Member of Parliament for Garston (previously Liverpool Garston and Halewood) since 1997. Below are all of the candidates standing for Garston:

• Labour - Maria Eagle
• Conservative - Danny Bowman
• Green - Muryam Sheikh
• Liverpool Community Independents - Sam Gorst
• Reform UK - Kiera Hubbard
• Liberal Democrat - John Hyland
• Independent - Jane Lawrence
• Workers Revolutionary Party - Frank Sweeney
• Liberal Party - Alan Tormey

Liverpool Riverside

The Riverside constituency - which covers the city centre and surrounding areas such as Kirkdale, Toxteth and parts of Everton and Anfield - has been represented by Kim Johnson, since 2019 (prior to the dissolution of parliament). She is once again standing as a candidate on behalf of the Labour party. Below are all of the candidates standing for Liverpool Riverside:

• Conservative - Jane Austin
• Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition - Roger Bannister
• Green - Chris Coughlan
• Reform UK - Gary Hincks
• Labour - Kim Johnson
• National Health Action Party - Stephen McNally
• Liberal Democrat - Rebecca Turner
• Liberal Party - Sean Weaver

Liverpool Walton

The Walton constituency was represented by Labour MP, Dan Carden from 2017 until the recent dissolution of Parliament. Below are all of the candidates standing for Liverpool Walton:

• Labour - Dan Carden
• Liberal Democrat - Sean Cadwallader
• Reform UK - Joseph Doran
• Liberal Party - Billy Lake
• Green - Martyn Paul Madeley
• Conservative - Emma Ware

Liverpool Wavertree

Liverpool Wavertree has been represented by Labour party MP, Paula Barker since 2010 (until the recent dissolution of Parliament). Below are all of the candidates standing for Liverpool Walton:

• Labour - Paula Barker
• Green - Tom Crone
• Conservative - Charlotte Eagar
• Independent - Mohamed El Ghady
• Reform UK - Adam Heatherington
• Liberal Democrat - Rob McAllister-Bell
• Independent - Joe Owens
• Independent - Ann San

Liverpool West Derby

The West Derby constituency has been represented by Labour MP, Ian Byrne since 2019 (until the recent dissolution of Parliament). Below are all of the candidates standing for Liverpool Walton:

• Labour - Ian Byrne
• Reform UK - Jack Boyd
• Green - Maria Coughlan
• Conservative - Charlotte Duthie
• Liberal Democrat - Kayleigh Halpin
• Liberal Party - Steve Radford

Where is my polling station?

Your polling station is printed on your poll card and you can also use the postcode look-up to find it. Checking is recommended as boundaries have changed since the last General Election.

Can I still register to vote in the general election on July 4?

No, the deadline to register to vote has now passed.

When is the deadline for a postal vote?

The deadline to apply for a postal vote was 5.00pm on June 19. You can no longer apply for a postal vote for the upcoming general election.

When is the deadline for a proxy vote?

You have until 5.00pm on Wednesday, June 26 to apply for a proxy vote. This allows a trusted person to vote on your behalf.

When can I vote?

Polling stations will be open from 7.00am until 10.00pm on Thursday, July 4. Photographic identification will be required to vote in the UK general election. If you are going to be away, you can send a postal vote - the deadline to apply for this has now passed - or opt for a proxy vote.

What do the polls predict for Liverpool and the overall picture?

As expected, You Gov’s latest general election MRP model predicts the whole of Liverpool and Merseyside will be a sea of Labour seats.

The current projections show a ‘record-breaking path’ for Kier Starmer, with 425 seat won by the Labour party across the country. The predictions see the Conservatives win just 108 seats, the lowest in their 200-year history.

Most of the constituency results will be announced in the early hours of Friday, July 5. The full picture and overall result should be revealed by around 6.30am.