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Now it’s over to the Lords to prevent the government’s assault on democracy

Yesterday was a dark day for democracy. Despite widespread opposition from campaigners, election experts, academics and civil society the government’s Elections Bill successfully passed through the commons. The Bill includes clauses introducing voter ID, more...

Posted 18 Jan 2022

This bill will put too much power in the hands of the government

On Monday MPs have a chance to pass an election bill that actually works

Opposition MPs have tabled amendments on reforming our voting system that would improve our elections for voters across the country. On Monday the government’s elections bill returns to the House of Commons. Along with other...

Posted 14 Jan 2022

MPs propose proportional representation amendments to the Elections Bill

The government should stop and re-think the 2022 Elections Bill as it returns to the Commons

The government’s Elections Bill returns to the House of Commons on Monday 17th January despite the opposition against their plans growing from all sides of the chamber. The bill has faced fierce opposition from campaigners,...

Posted 14 Jan 2022

The Elections Bill will hand huge powers to the government over our elections

Even senior MPs agree the government needs to pause and rethink the 2022 Elections Bill

Earlier this week, the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs (PACAC) select committee published the final report of its inquiry into the Elections Bill. In a highly critical report, the influential committee heeded...

Posted 17 Dec 2021

Senior MPs tell government evidence has simply not been good enough

Levelling Down: First Past the Post’s impact on regional inequality

Looking at just national disproportionality hides far more damning realities of how First Past the Post (FPTP) distorts the votes of the British public.

Posted 07 Dec 2021

Opposition held safe seats can be easily ignored

Dominic Grieve is just the latest conservative to call for a halt to the 2022 Elections Bill

While the Elections Bill is not expected to return to parliament until the new year, opposition is still growing against this dangerous legislation. The most recent conservative to speak out is former Attorney General, Dominic...

Posted 07 Dec 2021

Voter ID will be the nail in the coffin for democracy and MP’s integrity

A Labour Peer is trying to abolish hereditary peers (again)

There is overwhelming support for reform but Friday once again showed there is little chance of it succeeding. On Friday 3rd December, for the fourth time in just five years, Labour peer Lord Bruce Grocott...

Posted 07 Dec 2021

The government remains opposed to these common sense proposals

We must end the link between safe seats and second jobs

The most revealing type of political scandal is not the one where rules have been broken, but the ones where they haven’t. Where crisis has erupted over conduct that sits very comfortable within current parliamentary...

Posted 26 Nov 2021

Almost all MPs with a majority of their income from 2nd jobs have majorities bigger than 17,000

COP26 shows we need to democratise to decarbonise

In the run up to the COP26 climate change conference, a coalition of leading democracy organisations joined together on a campaign to put strong democracy at the heart of any response. The campaign’s message was...

Posted 26 Nov 2021

Hefty majorities become hefty bank balances with MPs’ outside jobs

As the second jobs scandal engulfs Westminster, the same line keeps being rolled out by government figures: If voters didn’t like their MPs pocketing sizeable sums from second jobs, they wouldn’t keep re-electing them.

Posted 15 Nov 2021