Those who oppose the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011 (FTPA) claim that it creates ‘lame duck parliaments’, with the executive unable to make good on its promises to the electorate. Proponents see the Act as modernising the UK constitution, removing the power to call elections from the hands of the prime minster (PM) and placing it under the jurisdiction of the House of Commons.
Traditionally, the executive could call the nation to the voting booths at any time within 5 years of the last general election. Such a system allowed the PM to pick the opportune moment, and kept the opposition on the back foot.
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