What is an All Party Parliamentary Group or APPG? One of the lesser-known institutions of Westminster is the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Here’s a quick overview on some of the key features of an APPG: An APPG is a group of MPs and Peers... Posted 29 Sep 2022
Labour Party conference backs proportional representation In a historic vote, Labour Party Conference has voted for a manifesto commitment to proportional representation for general elections. This is a massive moment for democracy in the UK. Now all major parties, bar the... Posted 27 Sep 2022
Long running survey finds majority support proportional representation The publication of the latest findings from the long-running British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey this week saw a record-breaking high in public support for electoral reform. Since 1983, the following question has been included on... Posted 23 Sep 2022
Electoral Commission report calls for better political education in Wales The Electoral Commission report on May 2022’s local elections in Wales, published yesterday, highlights that the extension of the franchise is only the first step in ensuring the participation of new groups of voters in... Posted 22 Sep 2022
What is a Westminster Hall debate? You may not know, but there are Parliamentary debates that occur outside of the Commons or Lords and these occur in Westminster Hall. Here’s a quick primer on some of the key features of a... Posted 22 Sep 2022
How do elections work in Latvia? Latvia’s election this Saturday (1st October) has been in the calendar for a while – a referendum is required to dissolve the Latvian parliament early. Such a vote can be called either by the president,... Posted 15 Sep 2022
How do elections work in Sweden? Sunday 11th September is election day in Sweden – where voters can elect a new parliament and decide the make-up of the country’s regional and municipal councils – all Swedish political bodies are elected to... Posted 29 Aug 2022
Constitutional questions need answering to strengthen Welsh democracy The debate about the UK’s constitutional arrangements has come to the fore in recent years. We’ve seen a Scottish referendum, with another possible next year, the UK’s exit from the European Union and more recently, the... Posted 18 Aug 2022
A majority of people oppose Boris Johnson’s plans to pack the Lords with new peers Our new polling has found that the majority of people (54%) oppose Boris Johnson’s plans to pack the Lords with new peers just weeks before he leaves office. Some prime ministers appoint a group of... Posted 16 Aug 2022
How did the Republic of Ireland get proportional representation? Today, almost every election held on the island of Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote (STV). Bar elections for the 18 Westminster seats from Northern Ireland – every other election, on both sides of the border,... Posted 10 Aug 2022