During elections, the official report documents the UK's history in real time

Imagine a detailed, ever-changing archive documenting every major UK government event and decision. Official UK Registera diverse collection that now includes a significant digital footprint.

As the 2024 general election approaches its final stages, here’s how this expansive dossier captures both the predictable and surprising moments of this election season. As I explain in my recent co-edited book, The official reportMost states record some version of their transactions in their official records. This is as true for the UK as it is for other countries.

Rather than a dry register, this register (broadly defined as the sum total of material created as a result of the operations of the British state) is diverse, and becomes even more so as increasing quantities of this output are now created in the digital kingdom.

Indeed, rather than a simple collection of dusty documents, this file includes videos for counter-radicalization programs, reports from public inquiries in key events in UK history and material relating to prisoners of war involved in escapes during the Second World War. In addition, evidence of changes The statements about the Hillsborough disaster demonstrate that what is recorded is often as important as what is not.

The 2024 elections

Announced by Rishi Sunak in the pouring rain outside Downing Street, with the New Labour anthem playing Things can only get better In the background, we can hear the first general election in the United Kingdom since December 2019.

In 2019, the Conservative Party, then led by Boris Johnson, won 365 places48 more than under Theresa May in 2017. However, the period since 2019 has been, to say the least, tumultuous. There has been the Covid pandemicthe tail of the Brexit process (which is itself registered in the official register of EU), and the Partygate Scandal who put an end to Johnson's Prime MinisterThere was also the awkward speech of reforming the political economy from the UK informed by unlimited faith in the markets by Liz Truss which, somewhat ironically, was finished by the very forces of the market Truss and his Chancellor Quasi-Quarteng sought to embolden.

In addition to evidence of the disruptions of the past five years, traces of Sunak's announcement can be found, among other places, on government websites, social media feed And ministerial communications.

As the campaign unfolded, official accounts recorded events in ways that were both predictable and unexpected. Predictably, references to the 2024 general election are found in Hansardthe essential file of the Houses of Parliament, in the days following the announcement of Sunak as House of Commons dismantled in anticipation of the election campaign. Similarly, state bodies such as the Electoral Commission And local councils provided advice on how to register and vote.

Less predictably, rapid evolution Paris scandal appeared, now involving multiple surveys And change position on support for candidates, all recorded in various parts of the UK's official archives.

June 12, The Guardian reported that Craig Williams, a close Sunak aide and Conservative MP, was being investigated by the Gambling Commission for bets placed on the potential date of a general election in the days leading up to Sunak's announcements.

Subsequent BBC Reports have revealed that Laura Saunders, the Conservative Party candidate for Bristol North West, and her husband Tony Lee, the Conservative Party's campaign manager, as well as a police officer, are also under investigation.

June 23, The Sunday Times reported that the Conservative Party's data chief, Nick Mason, is under investigation over allegations he placed tens small bets that in total would have allowed him to win thousands of pounds. On June 25, the Metropolitan Police announced that another five police officers were under investigation.

As if all this wasn't strange enough, Labour candidate for Mid Suffolk and North Ipswich, Kevin Craig, was suspended after admitting that he bet he would lose the election.

The weight of documents created in the official file in connection with these various unforced errors is already considerable and will increase as the various aspects of the scandal develop. Some are already in the public domain, while other documents will inevitably be revealed in the weeks, months, years and decades to come.

How could those involved in these incidents have thought that their actions reflected the expectations of those in British public life, who wanted to live up to reality? Nolan's Principles (the ethical standards expected of public office holders), the first of which states that they must act only in the public interest, is perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this scandal.

The results of the July 4 election will be carefully recorded in the official record. Ballots will be cast and counted locally, leading to the election of MPs. The media will aggregate these results as they are announced, providing a complete picture of the election results. Once the final results are known, the formation of the next government will proceed quickly.

The impact of this election on official facts will be considerable, shaping both the immediate political landscape and future historical documentation. From 5 July, this election will be etched in the annals, capturing the anticipated and unanticipated developments that define this pivotal moment in UK history.