How often do general elections occur in the UK, potentially leading to the election of new Members of Parliament (MPs)?

In the UK, the rules about how often we hold general elections are set out in law. The key piece of legislation here is the Fixed-term Parliaments Act of 2011. This act established that general elections should be held every five years. Before this act, the Prime Minister could technically call an election at any point within a five-year period, which gave them some strategic advantage. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act aimed to remove this advantage and provide more stability. So, while the default is every five years, it's important to remember that an election can still happen *earlier* than that. This could be triggered by a vote of no confidence in the government, or if two-thirds of MPs vote in favour of an early election. That's why the correct answer specifies "every 5 years (or earlier if there is an election)." The other options, like every two, three, or four years, are simply incorrect according to current UK law and practice.