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
Democracy needs you: Cross-party group seeks evidence for how to update Britain’s ‘wild west’ campaign rulesLast month saw a landmark in the push to overhaul Britain’s dangerously out-dated political campaigns laws. MPs from across the political divide stepped up efforts to update Britain’s analogue-age election rules, by launching the All...Posted 10 Jun 2019
ERS is the Press: May 2019In a month that began and ended with elections for local councils and the European Parliament – both of which showed the changing nature of British politics and the continued decline of the two main...Posted 05 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
How is the European Parliament Elected?Voters across the EU will be heading to the polls this week to elect the 751 representatives to the European Parliament (known as MEPs). Elections will be held in the UK on the 23rd of...Posted 21 May 2019
Does Australia use First Past the Post?Australians head to the polls tomorrow to elect all 151 members of the Federal House of Representatives and 40 of their 76 Senators. Australian elections are world-renowned for their beloved ‘Democracy Sausages’ and the fact...Posted 17 May 2019
‘This is What Democracy Looks Like’: Why campaigners are gathering in Manchester 200 years on from the Peterloo MassacreNearly 200 years ago, thousands of working people gathered on St Peter’s Field in Manchester with a simple demand: political representation. Local magistrates tried to shut down the meeting – the cavalry charged on the...Posted 15 May 2019
The plans to save Westminster are a missed opportunity to re-build our democracyYesterday the government has published its long-awaited Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Bill setting out its plans to repair the dangerous and crumbling Parliamentary estate. As part of it, they’ve also launched a new consultation...Posted 09 May 2019
ERS in the Press – April 2019As we geared up for a big round of local elections in England and Northern Ireland, we’ve been putting reform of Britain’s out-dated politics firmly on the agenda. Fair votes now As the Brexit process...Posted 01 May 2019
Conservative MPs back proportional representation, arguing First Past the Post “encourages conflict and aggression”MPs from across the spectrum made the case for reforming the Commons’ ‘divisive, broken electoral system’ on Tuesday, in a Westminster Hall debate on proportional representation. The Lib Dems, Green Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru, members...Posted 26 Apr 2019