Activists are calling on Keir Starmer to back ambitious political reform, following a key Labour reportLeading Labour figures and democracy campaigners have urged the Labour party to get behind major political reform, following the launch of a new party-commissioned roadmap for constitutional change.Posted 05 Feb 2021
ERS in the Press – January 2021As a new year begins, but the effects of the national lockdown continue, democratic issues continue to make the headlines – as we’ve kicked off the new year continuing our calls for fairer votes and...Posted 03 Feb 2021
Why we need more than piecemeal reform of the House of LordsThe House of Lords is back in the spotlight, with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying that replacing the House of Lords with an elected senate of the nations and regions should form part of...Posted 03 Feb 2021
What is going on with England’s May elections?This past week we’ve seen a dizzying array of conflicting reports for the government’s plans for May’s polls, with Conservative party figures suggesting delays are likely, despite official advice that plans are unchanged but ‘under...Posted 21 Jan 2021
Trump shows how First Past the Post gives the keys to extremistsAs the moving vans deliver the next residents of the White House into their new home, it is worth looking back on how America’s First Past the Post style political system aided Trump’s rise to...Posted 20 Jan 2021
7 democratic developments to watch out for this yearWhat does democracy look like in a pandemic? It’s a question that came up a lot last year – and 2021 seems no different. This year could see some major developments when it comes to...Posted 18 Jan 2021
Scotland’s local democracy is not an optional extraThe experience of the covid-19 crisis has served to underline and strengthen the case ERS Scotland has long been making for a revamped local democracy. The work undertaken in recent years – alongside a range...Posted 14 Jan 2021
Five times the ERS set the news agenda in 2020Despite the difficulties of 2020, the ERS kept up the pressure and make the case for political reform in a crowded news cycle. From promoting our key campaigns through our analysis of the 2019 election...Posted 13 Jan 2021
An independent Electoral Commission for Ireland – A step forward for democracyWhile in the UK the government has recently threatened our independent elections watchdog with abolition if it cannot be ‘radically overhauled’, across the sea, the Irish government has recently set out plans for establishing an...Posted 12 Jan 2021
What is the House of Lords Appointments Commission?A little-known non-departmental public body, the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), has recently been thrust into the spotlight, following the Prime Minister’s latest round of appointments to the House of Lords (if you weren’t...Posted 12 Jan 2021