But it's after 5 years now.
What you smoking/drinking ?
Since 1911, Parliament - the UK's national legislature - has had its maximum term set at five years (prior to 1911 Parliament could sit for a maximum of seven years). After five years, Parliament must be dissolved by the Monarch - as a consequence, this means that theoretically elections to the House of Commons must occur at least every five years, though in practice there is sometimes a delay of one or two months. The 1997 general election, for example, was held 5 years and 1 month after the preceding 1992 general election.
Unlike many nations such as the United States of America however, the United Kingdom does not have a fixed term for its Parliament, only a maximum term. The British Prime Minister has the power to seek an early dissolution from the Monarch (which cannot be refused) - once the Monarch grants this dissolution, an early election is held. As such, the time between elections can vary greatly; many British governments have generally preferred to hold office for four years before holding an early election, rather than sitting for a full five year term. It is not unheard of, however, for a government to fight two elections in the same year. If a party wins only a very small majority (or no majority, but still wins the most seats) in an election, it is customary for them to hold an early election to increase their majority. Furthermore, the House of Lords - Parliament's less powerful upper house - has the power to extend the maximum term of Parliament in the event of a national emergency. This power has been exercised twice since 1911, during the two World Wars - the planned 1915 and 1940 general elections were postponed until 1918 and 1945, respectively. Finally, a government can be forced to hold an early election if it loses a vote of confidence or fails to pass its annual budget; in either case, a Prime Minister must resign or contest an election (usually the latter). This has happened three times since 1911, and twice has lead to an early election, after the defeats of Ramsey MacDonald and James Callaghan (both Labour Party PMs) in 1924 and 1979, respectively.
