Former Conservative Mayor Andy Street urges party to embrace electoral reformAndy Street, the Conservative former mayor of the West Midlands, urged his party to embrace electoral reform to help it broaden its appeal to voters. Speaking at a packed-out Conservative Action for Electoral Reform (CAER)...Posted 15 Oct 2026
How should we assess different options for the voting system? (UCL)UCL are hosting a free lunchtime Zoom webinar on the upcoming National Commission on Electoral Reform. Andy Burnham has announced the creation of a national commission on electoral reform, and said that he wants Labour’s...Posted 14 Oct 2026
Quarter of a century of fair elections with proportional representation in BritainFollowing Andy Burnham’s historic pledge that Labour will have a manifesto commitment to change the First Past The Post (FPTP) electoral system used for UK general elections, it is worth remembering that proportional electoral systems...Posted 12 Oct 2026
The Scottish Government’s reforms offers a promising path to stronger local democracyIn recent weeks, The Scottish Government has opened a major debate about the future structure of local government. As part of its recent publication on the issue, the government argues that some councils are “too...Posted 08 Oct 2026
Prime Minister announces manifesto pledge and historic National Commission at Labour ConferenceToday, in his first conference speech as Prime Minister, I saw Andy Burnham commit his party to changing the way we elect MPs. It is hard to overstate how significant that is. Speaking in Liverpool,...Posted 29 Sep 2026
Anas Sarwar’s appointment exposes the problem at the heart of the House of LordsAndy Burnham began his Premiership with promises of change and a break with the past way of doing politics. Which is why one of his government’s first decisions deserves scrutiny. Anas Sarwar, the outgoing leader...Posted 05 Aug 2026
What political finance changes are coming in?Back in 2015 we published Deal or No Deal which looked at public attitudes to political finance following the failed cross-party talks on implementing the Committee on Standards in Public Life recommendations, including a cap...Posted 29 Jul 2026
In Andy Burnham we have the first prime minister who openly backs proportional representationAndy Burnham’s rise to Downing Street means that for the first time in modern history we have a prime minister who is openly committed to proportional representation. In recent years the new Labour leader has...Posted 20 Jul 2026
What legacy does Keir Starmer leave on democratic and electoral reform?This week we are witnessing an increasingly familiar sight – a change of prime minister. Keir Starmer has left office just over two years after winning a landslide and made way for Andy Burnham. During...Posted 20 Jul 2026
Wales becomes the first UK nation to introduce Automatic Voter RegistrationLast week, the Welsh Government laid new regulations to introduce Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) across all 22 Welsh local authorities ahead of the 2027 local elections. This marks a significant moment for Welsh democracy, making...Posted 01 Jul 2026