Guidance for Candidates and Agents at UK Parliamentary by-elections in Great Britain

What happens after the close of nominations

Provided no objections have been made, the (Acting)Returning Officer will publish a statement of persons nominated by 5pm, 19 working days before the poll.1

The statement will include:2

  • the full or commonly used names, as the case may be, of all candidates validly nominated
  • the names of candidates who no longer stand nominated, if any (i.e. invalid and withdrawn candidates), with the reason why they are no longer standing
  • the address of each candidate, or if they have requested not to make their home address public, the constituency in which their home address is situated (or the country if their home address is situated outside the UK)
  • each candidate's description (if any)

If objections have been made, the (A)RO will publish the statement of persons nominated by 4pm on the day after the deadline for the delivery of nomination papers, i.e. by 4pm, 18 working days before the poll.3

The (A)RO may also pass on your contact details such as phone numbers or email addresses to the police to enable them to contact you directly with security advice for the election. The (A)RO will provide further information about this, including how to opt out of this arrangement.

Last updated: 19 May 2025