How to stand as a candidate in the UK Parliamentary General Election

Candidate qualifications

To be able to stand as a candidate at a UK Parliamentary General Election, you must on the day you are nominated and on polling day, be:

at least 18 years old, and
either a British citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or an eligible Commonwealth citizen

Citizens of other countries (including EU member states other than the UK, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Malta) are not eligible to become a Member of the UK Parliament. There is no requirement in law for you to be a registered elector in the UK.

Submitting nomination papers

To become nominated as a candidate at a UK Parliamentary General Election, you need to submit a completed set of nomination papers to the (Acting) Returning Officer by 4pm on the 19th working day before the poll. Click here to download a nomination pack or email elections@hounslow.gov.uk to request a pack. The place to deliver completed nomination papers will appear here.

A £500 deposit is required which can be paid in one of the following ways:

Method	Payment of Deposit
By means of a banker’s draft drawn on a bank operating in the UK payable to “London Borough of Hounslow General Account”	before 2pm the day before nomination deadline.
By the electronic transfer of funds (Faster Payments or BACS) to: Account Name: London Borough of Hounslow Account Number: 20364814 Sort Code: 60-11-18 Bank Name and Address: NatWest Bank, High Street, Hounslow	by BACS before 2pm the day before nomination deadline . by Faster Payments before 4pm the day before nomination deadline.
By legal tender (i.e. Bank of England £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes and £2 and £1 coins)

Remittance advice to be sent to: paybacs@hounslow.gov.uk and kully.tumber@hounslow.gov.uk quoting "Brentford and Isleworth candidate deposit (insert name of candidate)".

Candidates or their agents are responsible for ensuring that cleared funds are received by the closing time and date for nominations. London Borough of Hounslow can take no responsibility for deposits not received by that time.

Please note that payment of the deposit will not be accepted via credit or debit card.

Further information

For more information on standing as a candidate, please click here to read the Electoral Commission’s guidance for candidates and agents.