ERS in the Press: January 2022Scandal and crisis at the heart of government have dominated the news as we begin 2022. Yet in a packed news cycle of covid regulation breaking parties in Downing Street, and a pantomime-esque will-they-won’t-they over...Posted 04 Feb 2022
The government aren’t listening – make your voices heard on 5th FebruaryJoin the Elections Bill Rally in Parliament Square. The passing of the government’s Election Bill through the House of Commons last week was a huge blow to democracy. It now heads to the Lords, with...Posted 28 Jan 2022
Now it’s over to the Lords to prevent the government’s assault on democracyYesterday was a dark day for democracy. Despite widespread opposition from campaigners, election experts, academics and civil society the government’s Elections Bill successfully passed through the commons. The Bill includes clauses introducing voter ID, more...Posted 18 Jan 2022
The government should stop and re-think the 2022 Elections Bill as it returns to the CommonsThe government’s Elections Bill returns to the House of Commons on Monday 17th January despite the opposition against their plans growing from all sides of the chamber. The bill has faced fierce opposition from campaigners,...Posted 14 Jan 2022
Even senior MPs agree the government needs to pause and rethink the 2022 Elections BillEarlier this week, the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs (PACAC) select committee published the final report of its inquiry into the Elections Bill. In a highly critical report, the influential committee heeded...Posted 17 Dec 2021
The top 5 most-read ERS articles from 2021Every year we have a look through the stats to see which of our articles were the most popular with readers in the year coming to a close. So if you missed them the first...Posted 13 Dec 2021
What is the 2022 Elections Bill? And why is it an issue?Earlier this month, the government published its long-awaited Elections Bill which makes changes to the administration and conduct of elections with the stated aim of ensuring that ‘UK elections remain secure, fair, modern, inclusive and...Posted 23 Jul 2021
How can we better regulate our elections? Earlier this month, buried amidst the many reactions to the government’s Elections Bill, the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) published its report on regulating election finance, following a year-long inquiry to which we...Posted 20 Jul 2021
Stephen Kinnock MP: Democracy is in retreat – and the government’s 2022 Elections Bill fails to face up to the challengeThe Elections Bill – introduced to the Commons on Monday - does not reflect the seriousness of the challenges our democracy faces from dark and dirty money, which has the potential to fundamentally corrupt our...Posted 13 Jul 2021
2022 Elections Bill: Has the government jumped the gun?Proposals to reform our election laws are like buses. You wait around ages for one and then two turn up at once. Earlier this week the government published its long-awaited Elections Bill – legislation they...Posted 09 Jul 2021