Imagine an ever-growing, detailed archive documenting every significant event and decision of the UK government. This is the UK Official Record, a diverse collection that now includes a significant digital footprint. As the 2024 General Election approaches its final stages, this article explores how this vast record is capturing both the predictable and surprising moments of this election season.
From Downing Street to the ballot box: Sunak’s rainy election call
Announced in the pouring rain with the New Labour anthem Things can only get better by D:Ream blaring in the background outside No. 10 Downing Street on May 22 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the UK General Election is the first to occur since December 2019. In 2019, the Conservative Party, then led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, won 365 seats, 48 more than they had under Prime Minister Theresa May in 2017. However, the period since 2019 has been, to say the least, a tumultuous period, featuring the COVID-19 pandemic, the tail end of the BREXIT process (which itself is recorded within the Official Record of the EU), the partygate scandal that put an end to Johnson's premiership, and the ill-judged pitch to reform the political economy of the UK informed by an unbounded faith in markets by Liz Truss that, somewhat ironically, was ended by the very market forces Truss and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng sought to embolden. Along with the evidence of the ructions of the last five years, traces of Sunak’s announcement can be found, among other places, on government websites, twitter feeds, and ministerial communications.
A rollercoaster campaign: scandals and surprises
As the campaign has developed, the Official Record has recorded events in both predictable and unexpected ways. Predictably, references to the 2024 General Election are found in Hansard, the indispensable record of the Houses of Parliament, in the days following Sunak's announcement as the House of Commons wound down in preparation for the election campaign. Likewise, state bodies such as the Electoral Commission and local councils have provided advice on how to register and vote.
Less predictably, a rapidly evolving betting scandal has emerged, now involving multiple investigations and shifting stances on candidate support, all recorded in various parts of the UK Official Record.
On June 12 The Guardian reported that Craig Williams, a close Sunak aide and Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr since 2019 and the 2024 Conservative candidate for the seat, was under investigation by the Gambling Commission for bets placed on the potential date of a general election in the days leading up to Sunak's announcements. Subsequent BBC reporting revealed that Laura Saunders, Conservative Party candidate for Bristol North West and her husband Tony Lee, Conservative Party Director of Campaigning, along with a police officer, were also under investigation. On June 23 The Sunday Times reported that Head of Data for the Conservative Party Nick Mason was being investigated for ‘claims he had placed dozens of small bets that would cumulatively have won him thousands of pounds’. On June 25, the Metropolitan Police announced a further five police officers were being investigated. If all of this was not strange enough, Labour candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Kevin Craig has been suspended and admitted that he bet that he would lose the election.
The weight of material created within the Official Record related to these various unforced errors is already significant and will grow as the various aspects of the scandal develop. Some is already in the public domain, whilst further material will inevitably come out in the coming weeks, months, years, and decades. Quite how any of those involved in any of the above thought their actions reflected the expectations of those in UK public life to live up to the Nolan Principles, the first of which says ‘public office-holders’ should ‘act solely in terms of the public interest’, is perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of this scandal.
Counting the votes: recording the 2024 election results
As the July 4 election results come in, they will be meticulously documented in the UK Official Record. Ballots will be cast and counted locally, leading to the election of MPs. Media outlets will aggregate these results as they are announced, providing a comprehensive picture of the election outcomes. Once the final results are clear, the formation of the next government will quickly unfold.
The impact of this election on the Official Record will be significant, shaping both the immediate political landscape and future historical documentation. From July 5 onwards, this election will be etched into the record, capturing the anticipated and unforeseen developments that define this pivotal moment in UK history.
