What are the benefits of Citizens’ Assemblies, and should they be used more? At the ERS, we’ve long campaigned for more involvement of citizens in the decisions that affect them. For politics to work for people like us, it needs to include people like us. Too often, public... Posted 03 Oct 2024
General Election result prompts renewed electoral reform debate at Conservative Party conference The Conservative conference this year was dominated by the leadership contest, with the four remaining candidates making their pitches to MPs and members this week in Birmingham. Meanwhile, at the fringe events there was a... Posted 02 Oct 2024
Former New Zealand PM praises ‘very stable’ PR at Labour Conference Despite the downcast weather in Liverpool this week there was an upbeat mood at the Labour conference as the party celebrated its second best election result in its history and a return to government. Yet... Posted 26 Sep 2024
Jubilation and strong support for electoral reform at the Liberal Democrat’s 2024 conference There was a jubilant atmosphere at the Liberal Democrat conference this week. The number 72 – the number of MPs the party now has – was everywhere. It appeared in every speech, to raucous applause,... Posted 18 Sep 2024
Which UK political parties support proportional representation? The results of the 2024 election are just the latest indicator of our broken electoral system, with a troubling mismatch between votes and seats, and a staggering 57.8% voters left unrepresented. If the UK had... Posted 18 Sep 2024
What to expect from the upcoming Senedd Reforms The Welsh Parliament is going through a raft of changes ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. Here’s all you need to know: Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 On the 24th of June, the... Posted 18 Sep 2024
16,000 people were blocked from voting in the general election, it’s time to scrap voter ID The scale of the impact that voter ID had on the recent general election has been laid bare today by a report from the Electoral Commission, which makes for concerning reading for those who care... Posted 10 Sep 2024
The plans to remove all the hereditary peers are now in motion Today’s the day we’ve been waiting for, plans have been laid for the final 92 hereditary peers to lose their places in the Lords! For over 700 years the House of Lords has contained Peers... Posted 05 Sep 2024
How does proportional representation work? Proportional representation (PR) is not a voting system in itself. Instead, it’s the idea that seats in parliament should reflect the proportion of votes cast; something which can be achieved through a variety of electoral... Posted 05 Sep 2024
Does the House of Lords have any power? This July, the King’s Speech outlined the government’s intention to remove hereditary seats from the House of Lords. This is a positive step toward reforming parliament’s second chamber, as it signals the beginning of the... Posted 28 Aug 2024