Former New Zealand PM praises ‘very stable’ PR at Labour ConferenceDespite the downcast weather in Liverpool this week there was an upbeat mood at the Labour conference as the party celebrated its second best election result in its history and a return to government. Yet...Posted 26 Sep 2024
Jubilation and strong support for electoral reform at the Liberal Democrat’s 2024 conferenceThere was a jubilant atmosphere at the Liberal Democrat conference this week. The number 72 – the number of MPs the party now has – was everywhere. It appeared in every speech, to raucous applause,...Posted 18 Sep 2024
16,000 people were blocked from voting in the general election, it’s time to scrap voter IDThe scale of the impact that voter ID had on the recent general election has been laid bare today by a report from the Electoral Commission, which makes for concerning reading for those who care...Posted 10 Sep 2024
Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn’t make a mayorThe local and mayoral elections saw the corrosive impact First Past the Post is having on our democracy writ large. Not only did we witness its continued distorting effect on local council elections, with a...Posted 08 May 2024
While Boris Johnson could come back with ID, many ordinary voters don’t have that luxuryNews that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was turned away from voting as he went to a polling station without an accepted form of ID caused widespread amusement on social media yesterday. According to media...Posted 03 May 2024
Will we be seeing political adverts on our streaming services?ITV recently confirmed to the Guardian that it is considering allowing political ads on its ITVX streaming service. At first glance, this may not seem like a huge development. Social media is already awash with...Posted 18 Apr 2024
Peter Mandelson should save his slimming tips for the House of LordsLord Peter Mandelson found himself in the headlines a couple of times this week. Firstly, when he criticised Labour’s plans to scrap the unelected Lords and replace it with an elected chamber that better represents...Posted 07 Mar 2024
As more peers are crammed in the Lords, the public support elected membersLate on Friday, the Government slipped out its latest honours list, which will add 13 new peers to the already-heaving House of Lords. Among the newly-ennobled are the usual clutch of party donors and advisors....Posted 13 Feb 2024
Fewer than one-in-four support prime ministers handing out peerages to parachute people into cabinetOur recent polling, covered by the Daily Mirror, has found that fewer than one-in-four individuals think it is acceptable for prime ministers to appoint peers to the House of Lords so they can parachute them...Posted 12 Dec 2023
The political reforms that were lacking from the King’s SpeechDemocracy was a conspicuous omission from yesterday’s King’s Speech. The pomp and ceremony of the occasion was the government’s last chance to set out a legislative agenda before the next election. Yet despite Rishi Sunak...Posted 08 Nov 2023