Representation of the People Act 1983
The primary UK statute governing electoral law, voter registration, and election procedures including nomination rules.
Ministers invoked the Representation of the People Act 1983 on 16 February 2026 when they reversed the postponement of 30 English council elections, after Reform UK won a Divisional Court challenge.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What election rules bind candidates and publishers on 7 May?
Timeline for Representation of the People Act 1983
Mentioned in: Holborn's by-election puts 15 on the ballot
UK Local Elections 2026Provided the Section 106 basis for the sole Osborn conviction and Section 66A exit-poll prohibition
UK Local Elections 2026: RPA Bill stranded, FCA review without probeMentioned in: Fourth Reform candidate on BNP list
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: Section 106 conviction vacates Reform seat
UK Local Elections 2026Invoked by Steve Reed MP to reverse the election postponement policy
UK Local Elections 2026: Reed reverses postponement, government pays Reform UK costsBackground
The Representation of the People Act 1983 is the primary UK statute governing how parliamentary and local elections are run, from voter registration and candidate nominations to the Conduct of the poll, election expenses and the count. It consolidated earlier electoral law and works alongside the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and the Elections Act 2022.
Section 106 makes it an offence to publish a false statement about a candidate's personal character or Conduct. On 16 April 2026, Andy Osborn, a Reform UK member of Cambridgeshire County Council, was convicted under it at Westminster Magistrates' Court over a false Facebook POST about a Conservative candidate; he was fined £1,800 in total and had to vacate his seat.
Section 66A prohibits publishing an exit poll, or any forecast based on information from voters about how they voted, before the poll closes. It applies to every UK parliamentary election, including by-elections such as Holborn and St Pancras on 8 October 2026.
Election law forces scheduled polls back
The 1983 Act's framework for holding elections on schedule shaped the government's retreat from postponing English council polls in February 2026. On 9 February, Robert Jenrick told a Commons adjournment debate that legal advice from his own time as Secretary of State had judged a second consecutive postponement not legally sustainable.
Seven days later, on 16 February, Steve Reed reversed the postponement of 30 local elections, citing updated legal advice, after Reform UK won a Divisional Court challenge. The government agreed to pay Reform's legal costs of about £100,000 and committed £63m to the 21 reorganising areas that would now hold their polls.