Articles by Josiah Mortimer

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Josiah Mortimer, former Head of Communications

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How government voter ID plans are an expensive and dangerous distraction

At a cost of up to £20m per election, this is a colossal waste of energy and resources at a time when we should be focusing on the UK’s recovery.

Posted 18 Feb 2021

Activists are calling on Keir Starmer to back ambitious political reform, following a key Labour report

Leading Labour figures and democracy campaigners have urged the Labour party to get behind major political reform, following the launch of a new party-commissioned roadmap for constitutional change.

Posted 05 Feb 2021

Politics too often feels like a London dominated private members club with citizens locked out

What is going on with England’s May elections?

This past week we’ve seen a dizzying array of conflicting reports for the government’s plans for May’s polls, with Conservative party figures suggesting delays are likely, despite official advice that plans are unchanged but ‘under...

Posted 21 Jan 2021

Elections are fundamental to democracy and must be properly managed

7 democratic developments to watch out for this year

What does democracy look like in a pandemic? It’s a question that came up a lot last year – and 2021 seems no different. This year could see some major developments when it comes to...

Posted 18 Jan 2021

This year could see some major developments when it comes to voters rights

Here’s how much the PM’s new unelected Lords could cost us

The House of Lords was already bursting at the seams, but the latest batch of appointments from the Prime Minister has taken it past breaking point. Over 800 unelected lawmakers will be voting on decisions...

Posted 04 Jan 2021

The new Lords could end up costing taxpayers as much as £728,688 a year

Labour MPs call on party in Westminster to back electoral reform after Wales’ Senedd backs change

Labour MPs from across the party have called on the leadership to back reform to Westminster’s ‘broken voting system’ after the Labour-led administration in Cardiff passed legislation introducing STV for local government elections across Wales....

Posted 20 Dec 2020

Over 100 constituency parties have passed motions in favour of proportional representation

MPs in joint call to ‘protect and strengthen’ the Electoral Commission, 20 years after its foundation

This week marks 20 years since the Electoral Commission was founded. It’s a time for celebration of its successes but also a time to look to its future. That’s why former Digital, Culture, Media and...

Posted 04 Dec 2020

The Electoral Commission has become an analogue regulator in a digital age

20 years since the Electoral Commission was founded, our watchdog needs more clout

Monday 30th November marks the 20th Anniversary of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. In 2000, just 30% of people had internet access at home. Facebook was years from conception. Today, campaigners spend millions each election...

Posted 25 Nov 2020

voters deserve to know who’s targeting them online.

The government has a chance to right a major electoral injustice on Tuesday

As it stands, the new constituency boundaries will not take into account roughly nine million people who aren’t on the register.

Posted 09 Nov 2020