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

Voters across Wirral - and the rest of the UK - will head to the polling stations in just over a week, 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 Wirral 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.

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Parliamentary seats being contested in Wirral

Wirral has three parliamentary constituencies, each represented by an elected Member of Parliament (MP). Depending on where you on the peninsular 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 three Parliamentary seats being contested:

• Wirral West
• Birkenhead
• Wallasey

Wirral boundary changes

A recent boundary review reduce the number of Wirral constituencies from four to three, with Wirral South no longer existing. Wirral South covered parts of the peninsula such as Heswall, Bebington, Clatterbridge and Bromborough. Bebington is now part of the Birkenhead constituency, while Heswall and Clatterbridge join Wirral West. Bromborough will be part of a new Ellesmere Port and Bromborough constituency.

Who is standing for election in each Wirral constituency?

Wirral West

Wirral West was represented by Labour party MP, Margaret Greenwood prior to the dissolution of Parliament. She has been the Member of Parliament for Wirral West since 2015, after taking the seat from Esther McVey (until the dissolution of parliament) however, she is not standing this year. Below are all of the candidates standing for Wirral West:

• Reform UK - ,Ken Ferguson
• Labour - Matthew Patrick
• Green - Gail Jenkinson
• Conservative - Jenny Johnson
• Liberal Democrat - Peter Reisdorf

Birkenhead

Birkenhead was represented by Labour MP, Mick Whitley from 2019 to 2024 - when Parliament was dissolved. Former Wirral South MP, Alison McGovern is standing for Labour this year. Below are all of the candidates standing for Birkenhead:

• Labour - Alison McGovern
• Green - Jo Bird
• Freedom Alliance - Catherine Evans
• Liberal Democrat - Stuart Kelly
• Conservative - Sarah Payne
• Reform UK - Tony Stanley

Wallasey

Dame Angela Eagle has represented the Wallasey constituency for Labour since 1992 (until the dissolution of Parliament). Below are all of the candidates standing for Wallasey:

• Conservative - Robbie Lammas
• Workers Party of Britain - Philip Bimpson
• Reform UK - David Burgess-Joyce
• Liberal Democrat - Vicky Downie
• Labour - Angela Eagle
• Freedom Alliance - Ian Pugh
• Green - Jane Turner

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.

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.