Why are Britain’s unelected Lords hiding from scrutiny?It was a Parliamentary first – and it went without a hitch. On Wednesday, voters and MPs tuned in to the first-ever 'virtual' Prime Minister’s Questions.Posted 24 Apr 2020
Keir Starmer will have to combine working together with in-depth scrutinyWithin hours of victory, new Labour leader Keir Starmer had vowed to work with Boris Johnson ‘in the national interest’ to tackle the mounting coronavirus crisis – following a letter from the PM urging opposition...Posted 09 Apr 2020
The ERS, democracy and the coronavirus crisisERS staff are, as you would imagine, working from home, and our events and meetings have all been postponed. While the office is closed, we’re still keeping up our work remotely (do contact [email protected] if...Posted 24 Mar 2020
When millions of voters are systematically ignored, it’s time for an overhaul at WestminsterOne thing was clear before a single result came in on Thursday night. The voting system is not just bust – it’s bankrupt. A huge amount of time was given this election to talk about...Posted 16 Dec 2019
Policies for a fairer politics: How we can fix a broken systemThis election, the political system is more distrusted by voters than it has been for years. It’s not hard to see why. The sense that people do not feel ‘heard’ is growing: an ERS poll...Posted 08 Nov 2019
Voter ID checks threaten to suppress voter rights ‘on industrial scale’The Windrush scandal showed what can happen when millions of people who lack ID are shut out by Government. But the announcement in the Queen’s Speech proposing mandatory voter ID checks means there’s a risk of repeating those...Posted 15 Oct 2019
Ed Davey – Liberal Democrat Leadership InterviewElectoral Reform Society Chief Executive Darren Hughes spoke with Lib Dem leadership candidate Ed Davey Darren Hughes: Ed, thank you very much for joining us as part of your campaign I know that you’ve always...Posted 12 Jul 2019
Jo Swinson – Liberal Democrat Leadership InterviewOur Chief Executive Darren Hughes interviewed Liberal Democrat Leadership hopeful Jo Swinson on her democratic priorities. Darren Hughes: Let’s kick off with what we’re about at the ERS! Do you think recent events and politics...Posted 12 Jul 2019
Why a directly elected PM could trigger a constitutional crisisThis piece was originally published by The Times In the current Conservative Party leadership election MPs and party members will select the next leader of the party — itself no strange thing. We’ve seen similar...Posted 21 Jun 2019
Volatile voting: Why the next General Election is going to be a shamblesVoters want to shop around more than ever – but they will be calamitously constrained by Westminster’s electoral system, according to new analysis by the ERS. 2015 and 2017 saw the highest levels of voter...Posted 04 Jun 2019