Articles by Darren Hughes

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There is no room left in the House of Lords and no appetite for yet more peers

Whether it’s a restaurant, a stadium, or your belly – when something is full, logic determines you stop adding to it. This basic principle should be applied to the House of Lords, but it isn’t....

Posted 14 Feb 2018

Why money still rules the roost in British Politics

If ever there was a story which revealed the disproportionate influence exerted by big party donors, it was the on the front page of The Times on Tuesday. The article set out what has been...

Posted 31 Jan 2018

How we vote has to change if our voices are to be heard

It came as no surprise this week that the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed nearly three in five people (57%) in the UK feel their views are not being represented in British politics. It is the inevitable consequence...

Posted 24 Jan 2018

Survey results add weight to argument for Votes at 16

When reformers argue in favour of extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, they often do so by stating what other things those within that bracket are already doing (paying taxes, driving etc.) For many people these arguments will ring true – but for...

Posted 22 Jan 2018

Politicians should stop presuming and start listening on Brexit

It is hard to turn on the TV now without one politician or another telling us what the ‘British people’ want from Brexit. On one side, one argues that only leaving the single market will...

Posted 12 Jan 2018

Voting patterns in the House of Lords rubbish claims of its independence

Article first published by Politics.co.uk. It is anticipated that Theresa May will appoint up to a dozen Tory peers this month – which could be joined by a handful of Labour members and some from the DUP. It is...

Posted 11 Jan 2018

Referendum spending is a murky world – when it should be crystal clear

Negotiations on the UK’s exit from the European Union will dominate much of the political agenda this year. But 18 months on from the Brexit referendum, questions are still being asked about whether campaigners played by...

Posted 08 Jan 2018

Political parties are too reliant on big donors – and it has to change

Huge swathes of the public believe big donors hold too much political sway – and yet again it has been revealed just how reliant parties are on the cash of very few. The Mirror today published research findings showing that 39% of...

Posted 05 Jan 2018

Ministers are ignoring the elephant in the room when it comes to boundaries

The government’s Minister for the Constitution has claimed that millions of voters living in oversized constituencies are being under-represented. Speaking about the current boundaries, Chris Skidmore MP said: “It is an affront to democracy that 27 million people are under-represented.” ...

Posted 03 Jan 2018

There’s a lobbying scandal brewing in the House of Lords

The House of Lords has long been a home for party donors and lobbyists. But now it turns out even those who have supposedly retired are taking advantage of the unelected House. As if the...

Posted 02 Jan 2018