During the election, the ‘official record’ is documenting UK history in real-time

London: Imagine an ever-growing, detailed archive documenting every significant event and decision of the UK government. This is the UK official record, a diverse collection that now includes a significant digital footprint.

As the 2024 general election approaches its final stages, here’s how this vast record is capturing both the predictable and surprising moments of this election season. As I explain in my recent co-edited book, The Official Record, most states document a version of their operations in their official record. This is as true for the UK as it is for other nations.

Rather than a dry ledger, this record (broadly defined as the sum total of material created as a result of the operations of the UK state) is diverse, becoming more so as increasing amounts of this output is now created in the digital realm.

Indeed, rather than just a collection of dusty documents, this record includes videos for anti-radicalisation schemes, reports of public inquiries into key events in UK history and material related to prisoners of war involved in escapes during the second world war. Moreover, as evidence of changes to statements pertaining to the Hillsborough disaster demonstrates, what is recorded is often as important as what is not.

Announced by Rishi Sunak in the pouring rain outside Downing Street, with the New Labour anthem Things Can Only Get Better blaring in the background, this is the first UK general election since December 2019.

In 2019, the Conservative Party, then led by Boris Johnson, won 365 seats, 48 more than they had under Theresa May in 2017. However, the period since 2019 has been, to say the least, tumultuous. There was the COVID pandemic, the tail end of the Brexit process (which itself is recorded within the Official Record of the EU), and the partygate scandal that put an end to Johnson’s premiership. There has also been the ill-judged pitch to reform the political economy of the UK informed by an unbounded faith in markets by Liz Truss that, somewhat ironically, was ended by the very market forces Truss and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng sought to embolden.

Along with the evidence of the disruptions of the last five years, traces of Sunak’s announcement can be found, among other places, on government websites, social media feeds and ministerial communications.

As the campaign has developed, the official record has recorded events in both predictable and unexpected ways. Predictably, references to the 2024 general election are found in Hansard, the indispensable record of the Houses of Parliament, in the days following Sunak’s announcement as the House of Commons wound down in preparation for the election campaign. Likewise, state bodies such as the Electoral Commission and local councils have provided advice on how to register and vote.

Craig Williams in a red tie and black suit.

Less predictably, a rapidly evolving betting scandal has emerged, now involving multiple investigations and shifting stances on candidate support – all recorded in various parts of the UK official record.

On June 12, The Guardian reported that Craig Williams, a close Sunak aide and Conservative MP, was under investigation 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 reporting revealed that Laura Saunders, Conservative party candidate for Bristol North West and her husband Tony Lee, Conservative party director of campaigning, along with a police officer, were also under investigation.

On June 23, The Sunday Times reported that head of data for the Conservative party Nick Mason was being investigated for “claims he had placed dozens of small bets that would cumulatively have won him thousands of pounds”. On June 25, the Metropolitan Police announced that a further five police officers were being investigated.

If all of this was not strange enough, Labour candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Kevin Craig has been suspended after admitting that he bet he would lose the election.

The weight of material created within the official record related to these various unforced errors is already significant and will grow as the various aspects of the scandal develop. Some is already in the public domain, while further material will inevitably come out in the coming weeks, months, years and decades.

Quite how any of those involved in these incidences thought their actions reflected the expectations of those in UK public life to live up to the Nolan principles (the ethical standards expected of public office holders), the first of which says they should “act solely in terms of the public interest”, is perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of this scandal.

As the July 4 election results come in, they will be meticulously documented in the official record. Ballots will be cast and counted locally, leading to the election of MPs. Media outlets will aggregate these results as they are announced, providing a comprehensive picture of the election outcomes. Once the final results are clear, the formation of the next government will quickly unfold.

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