Questioning New Zealand’s proportional system led to questions about the prime minister’s positionNew Zealand heads to the polls on November 7 and as a country with similar political traditions to the UK, it is always worth looking at what is happening. The parties that loosely make up the two...Posted 12 Aug 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
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
Keir Starmer’s resignation is the latest product of the chaos of First Past the PostToday Keir Starmer announced he will be resigning as Prime Minister. It is hard to overstate how remarkable that is. His government won 63% of all MPs on just 34% of the vote in 2024,...Posted 22 Jun 2026
Government right to reverse the decision to postpone these local electionsThe fundamental principle of democracy is that people get to regularly express their view on the politicians who make decisions that affect them. So it is welcome that the government has today reversed the decision...Posted 16 Feb 2026
Elections bill will bring in once-in-a-generation change to voting – but misses big opportunityToday sees the first reading of the Representation of the People Bill, the government’s landmark legislation reforming how elections work. This promises to make some fundamental reforms to the way we vote, as well as...Posted 12 Feb 2026
Local election delays: It’s unacceptable to treat voters like a bureaucratic inconvenienceElections are a crucial part of the democratic process. Citizens have the right to expect a regular opportunity to express a view about who should exercise power in their name, at all levels of government....Posted 22 Jan 2026
Latest peerages mean government has replaced the hereditary peers – before they’ve even left the LordsKeir Starmer himself not long ago described the wholly unelected and grossly bloated House of Lords as ‘indefensible’. Nothing has changed since then so it was deeply disappointing to see even more peers being stuffed...Posted 11 Dec 2025
Latest YouGov poll shows multi-party Britain breaking the voting systemIf there were a general election tomorrow, who would form the next government? It sounds like a simple question if you have access to the latest polls. But when the latest YouGov poll, released on...Posted 28 Oct 2025
Why are our mayors winning on less than 30% of the vote?This past week’s mayoral elections marked a worrying milestone for democracy in England. For the first time ever, two combined authority mayors have been elected on less than 30% of the vote – with one...Posted 07 May 2025