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
How would proportional representation work in the UK?Proportional Representation (PR) is the idea that seats in parliament should closely match votes cast in an election. A system that’s perfectly proportional would mean that if a political party received one third of the...Posted 16 Jan 2025
What are the political donation rules in the UK?This week the Observer spoke to our director of research, Jess Garland, about the inadequate rules surrounding party funding in Britain. As Jess told them: “the concern is that if the current rules aren’t updated,...Posted 04 Dec 2024
Does the parliamentary petition site make a difference?The parliamentary petition site is in the news at the moment, as nearly three million people have signed a petition asking for a new general election. The petition is set to be debated on the...Posted 02 Dec 2024
When was the voting age reduced from 21 to 18 in the UK?The UK is no stranger to expanding the franchise. The age you have to be to cast a vote in elections has changed many times – each time allowing even more people to participate in...Posted 27 Nov 2024
Could Trump lose the popular vote for the third time but secure a second term as President?Before the last US Presidential election, in 2020, we asked whether it was possible for Donald Trump to again lose the popular vote but win the Presidency, as he had done in 2016. Although this...Posted 05 Nov 2024
The Commons versus the Lords: What’s the difference?Our parliament is made up of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, but do we really need two chambers? It can be tempting to see it as pointless duplication, but the colour...Posted 04 Nov 2024
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
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
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