UK Elections: When is the next general election in the UK, when was the last election, what time do the local election polling stations close tonight and when to expect local election results for Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham, Havant and Winchester

The local election will take place today (May 5), with results expected in the next few days.

The topic of elections has resurfaced following the ‘partygate fines’ which were handed out last month.

Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have been fined for breaking Covid-19 rules.

The prime minister, his wife Carrie Johnson, and the chancellor all received fixed penalty notices after they attended a birthday gathering at 10 Downing Street during lockdown.

As a result, Mr Johnson became the UK's first serving prime minister to be sanctioned for breaking the law.

There have been calls for the prime minister to resign following his apology where he stated: ‘In all frankness, at that time it did not occur to me that this might have been a breach of the rules.

‘But, of course, the police have found otherwise and I fully respect the outcome of their investigation.’

But when is the next general election in the UK and what time do the local election polling stations close tonight?

Here's everything you need to know:

What is a general election?

A general election is where people across the UK vote to choose their member of parliament (MP).

The MP will represent a local area (constituency) in the House of Commons for up to five years.

Voters will have to decide between several candidates in each constituency and most will be the local candidates for national political parties.

The candidate who receives the most votes becomes an MP.

The election also decides the prime minister of the country, with the leader of the political party with the most votes taking office.

When was the last UK general election?

The last general election was held on December 12, 2019.

This election saw Conservative leader Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn battle it out for the role of prime minister.

The Conservatives won the election with a landslide majority of 80 seats.

The party made a net gain of 48 seats and won 43.6% of the popular vote, which was the highest percentage for any party since 1979.

The snap election was called by Mr Johnson as he could not induce parliament to approve a revised withdrawal agreement for Brexit by the end of October.

The opinion polls leading up to the election indicated a Conservative win.

When is the next general election?

Currently, the next general election in the UK is scheduled for May 2, 2024.

This depends on whether Mr Johnson will serve a full term, which is five years long, according to the Fixed-Term Parliament Act 2011.

There have been calls for the prime minister to step down following his attendance at the parties on Downing Street.

If Mr Johnson was to resign as prime minister before the planned election, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is amongst the contenders rumoured to be favoured by the Conservatives to take on the position.

Another possible contender for prime minister is Portsmouth North’s MP, Penny Mordaunt.

If this was to happen, the new prime minister could call a snap election if it is needed.

Theresa May called a snap election in 2017, as parliament could not agree on a deal for Brexit.

At the time, she said: ‘The country is coming together but Westminster is not.’

How long has Boris Johnson been prime minister?

Mr Johnson became prime minister in the summer of 2019 after Ms May announced that she was resigning as leader of the Conservative party.

He was elected leader of the party with 66 per cent of the votes.

The prime minister later tabled a motion for an early general election to be held in December 2019, which was the third general election since 2015.

SEE ALSO: Who is Penny Mordaunt?

When are the next local elections in England?

Local elections can have just as much impact as a general election.

The next round of local elections will take place today (May 5) in England.

What time do polling stations close tonight?

Polling stations opened at 7am this morning across the UK.

The stations will close at 10pm.

When to expect results

The first results will start to come in at around 1am.

Results for Fareham are expected to come in by 3am, with Portsmouth set to declare their results before 5am.

Havant’s results will come in between 2pm and 3pm on Friday, May 7, with Winchester and Gosport results expected between 4pm and 6pm.

The final result in the local elections should be in at around midday on Saturday, May 8.