The Reformer

House of Lords

Britain’s unelected Lords are signing up to speak in huge numbers. Here’s why

“We might be in the bath, or in the middle of supper, or asleep, but if we don’t press the...

Government inaction has left the door ‘wide open’ to foreign interference in UK politics

Electoral loopholes are leaving the door wide open to foreign interference, the ERS’ Darren Hughes has said, following the release...

Russia report highlights risk of foreign interference in House of Lords

"It is notable that a number of Members of the House of Lords have business interests linked to Russia."

Why we’re calling for Labour to join others in backing proportional representation

"The need for a wholesale renewal of our democracy is now more urgent than ever."

Avoiding an ‘elective dictatorship’: How Parliament can learn from the pandemic

From virtual contributions to debates, to remote voting, the House of Commons showed that it could modernise quickly when faced...

House of Lords libary

Moving the Lords to York is just virtue signalling if it remains unelected

Once again, talk is bubbling that the House of Lords could be moved to York.

New research reveals BME people severely under-represented on local councils

New research has revealed a significant ‘representation gap’ when it comes to diversity at a local level.

Could a citizens’ assembly help set out a post-pandemic recovery plan for Wales?

ERS Cymru has advocated for the use of deliberative democracy and citizens’ assemblies for many years. But it’s an idea...

It’s time for the Labour Party to get behind real democracy at Westminster

The rules that govern our politics have a lot to answer for when it comes to political in-fighting and polarisation.

Welsh civil society launches ‘democracy manifesto’ for 2021 Senedd elections

Civil society groups led by ERS Cymru have launched their ‘democracy asks’ for the 2021 Welsh Senedd elections, throwing down...

Labour now backs proportional representation for executive elections. Next stop: PR for Westminster

The Labour Party has scrapped First Past the Post voting for its National Executive Committee elections, meaning constituency representatives will...

Why ministers’ plans for redrawing the constituency map matter

The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill 2019-21 is currently making its way through Parliament, and it deserves some proper attention.