Does Rishi Sunak need to call a General Election?

Houses of Parliament (photo by Deniz Fuchidzhiev on Unsplash) - There may be a strong democratic case for the new Prime Minister to seek a fresh mandate, but, legally and politically, when is a General Election required? Despite the UK being on its third prime minister since the last general election in 2019, the law does not require Rishi Sunak to call an election. However, it is important to note that the UK's famously uncodified constitution eschews legal restraints on political actors, preferring instead to trust the slings and arrows of politics to control politicians and hold them to account. And while the law says very little, the constitution may require more democratic input. When is a general election legally required?. Earlier this year, Parliament repealed the Fixed Term Parliaments Act passed by the coalition government in 2011 and reinstated the prior constitutional situation concerning the calling of a general election. This means that a general election is called when the Monarch exercises their prerogative power to dissolve Parliament on the advice of the Prime Minister. This means, in practice, that the Prime Minister may dissolve Parliament whenever they see fit.