We’ve told Parliament the case for updating our campaign rules – now it’s time to actCurrent electoral legislation is not fit for purpose. The core elements of our electoral law date back to Victorian times, with legislation failing to keep up with societal and cultural changes, and developments in digital...Posted 28 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
A new all-party group has been launched to update Britain’s ‘wild west’ election campaign rulesAs we get closer to the European elections, here’s a worrying fact: our elections are currently wide open to foreign interference and dodgy campaigning. Election rules in the UK haven’t been updated since the year...Posted 15 May 2019
Imprints – finally some action to update our analogue laws for the digital ageIn a victory for voters; campaigners; academics; the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee; and the Electoral Commission, among many others, the government has finally committed to extending imprints (disclosures stating who has paid for...Posted 07 May 2019
Ministers can’t let themselves of the hook when it comes to tackling the social media ‘Wild West’Last week the government launched a consultation into tackling ‘online harm’. It’s the first step towards dealing with the tech barons of the new ‘wild west’. But ministers can’t let themselves off the hook just...Posted 15 Apr 2019
ERS in the Press – March 2019Brexit might be dominating the news, but the rolling constitutional crisis that we call Westminster is still up to its usual tricks. We’ve spent the last month getting press attention for some of our biggest...Posted 29 Mar 2019
Money could flood into British politics under planned lawThe Overseas Electors Bill, which returned to the Commons last week, has a sound purpose – to end the current limit on how long Britons can live abroad and still be able to vote. But,...Posted 25 Mar 2019
Digital political campaigning remains as unregulated as ever – but calls for reform are increasingOver the weekend, Buzzfeed reported that Britain’s Future, an obscure pro-Brexit group, spent almost £350,000 on 2,600 Facebook adverts over the course of five months, micro-targeting tens of thousands of voters to get them to...Posted 12 Mar 2019
Tax ‘exiles’ are funnelling money into our political parties. It’s time to close the loopholeHere’s a fairly basic democratic principle: those who pour money into our political parties in exchange for influence should – at the very least –be based here at home. Sadly, even that low bar is...Posted 07 Mar 2019
ERS in the Press – February 2019Another wild month in politics – from crucial Brexit votes to the apparent disintegration of Britain’s party structures. Throughout, we’ve been pointing at the elephant in the room: the crumbling state of Britain’s democracy and...Posted 28 Feb 2019