Rebuilding trust in politics starts with repairing the rules on funding Earlier this month the Electoral Commission heads appeared before a House of Commons select committee with stark warnings about the dangers of failing to address the problems with political finance. Commenting on the existing rules... Posted 25 Feb 2025
Exploring the proportional outcome of Germany’s 2025 Federal election With around 84.5 million inhabitants, Germany is the most populous country in western Europe. A German Federal election, where representatives are elected to the Bundestag (Germany’s national parliament), is therefore always an important event. From... Posted 24 Feb 2025
A big win for fairer politics: Why Section 106 matters How many women stand for election every year? It’s hard to tell. That’s because right now, parties don’t have to publish information on the diversity of their candidates. However, last month, the Minister for Women... Posted 19 Feb 2025
Here’s the insights from our ERS members’ workshop Following the 2024 election, we set about revising our campaigning plans for the new political situation in Westminster. We’ve been talking to MPs, academics and activists, as well as listening to our membership. The support... Posted 12 Feb 2025
What voting system does the UK use for general elections? Voting systems are the methods we use to elect representatives, like MPs or local councillors. They lay out rules about the way votes are cast and counted. Which system do we use in general elections... Posted 11 Feb 2025
English devolution and local government reorganisation highlight need for PR at local level Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, has announced the latest stage of the UK government’s plans for devolution and local government re-organisation within England. Six... Posted 11 Feb 2025
Current Parliament ‘least represents how the country voted of any in history’, MPs warn Last week saw MPs warning that our current Parliament “is the one that least represents how the country voted of any in history”, as the government came under increasing pressure to bring in a fairer... Posted 06 Feb 2025
Why the Senedd’s new recall system might hurt accountability Last week, the Senedd’s Standards of Conduct Committee published a report recommending the introduction of a recall procedure, allowing voters to remove and replace Members of the Senedd (MSs) who have seriously breached the Code... Posted 05 Feb 2025
How Trudeau missed the opportunity for electoral reform in Canada At the beginning of 2025, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced his decision to resign. He will stay in office until March 2025, when the Liberal Party selects a new leader, who will also... Posted 29 Jan 2025
How are peers appointed to the House of Lords? The House of Lords is the second chamber of our Parliament. Before bills become laws, they must pass through the House of Lords, and Lords themselves play a key role in scrutinising public policy. That... Posted 29 Jan 2025