Dissolution of Parliament
The dissolution of Parliament took place on Thursday 30 May 2024. All business in the House of Commons and House of Lords has come to an end. There are currently no MPs and every seat in the Commons is vacant until after the general election on 4 July 2024.
Find out more about:
The Palace of Westminster
The history of the Houses of Parliament spans over 900 years from the Anglo-Saxons to the present
Read about the current Palace of Westminster as designed by architect Sir Charles Barry
The early history of the Palace of Westminster from the 11th century to the fire of 1834
The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell which was first struck on the 7 September 1859
Westminster Hall is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. It has played a central role in 900 years of British history, with the major institutions of the British state having grown up directly around it
St Stephen's Chapel is the forgotten heart of the Palace of Westminster. For seven centuries St Stephen's was at the centre of the political and religious life of the nation, and it's influence is still detected today.