The Reformer

Young voters

National Democracy Week: The Conservative case for extending the franchise is stronger than ever

The following piece is a guest post by Owen Meredith, National Chairman of the Tory Reform Group. This inaugural National Democracy...

There’s an easy way to tackle the ‘political gender gap’ – what’s the government waiting for?

It’s no news that British politics has a big problem with gender diversity. Just a third of MPs and councillors...

Four ways Westminster’s politics needs fixing this Democracy Week

Monday marks the start of the first ‘National Democracy Week’ – the government’s initiative to encourage democratic participation. It has...

Electoral reform for Love Island?

What’s not to like about Love Island? A group of good-looking singletons enter a villa in the hopes of finding...

The need to rein in the ‘online wild west’ is now being recognised

Following a series of scandals around fake news, foreign interference, and misuse of personal data, the Electoral Commission acknowledged earlier...

Democracy21

The campaign for truly local democracy in Scotland is growing

Last weekend – a rare sunny Saturday in Glasgow – around 500 people gathered not to drink cocktails in the...

House of Lords

Revealed: The Lords is increasingly out of touch with modern Britain

To many of us, the House of Lords looks very much like a private members’ club – a cosy corner...

ID sign outside polling station

Why are Ministers celebrating citizens losing their right to vote?

In a comment piece for The Times this week, Chloe Smith, Minister for the Constitution, made some bold claims about the...

Dominic Cummings

Inside the funny world of ‘contempt of Parliament’

It’s a commonly established practice that Parliamentary select committees can ask witnesses to attend hearings and answer questions. This frequently...

Finally, some action to reign in the ‘online wild west’ – but there’s much more to be done

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has announced a crackdown on the online political advertising industry following the Cambridge Analytica scandal....

No ID No Entry

Voters want to tackle Britain’s real democratic problems – not impose voter ID

Despite the fact that last month’s Voter ID trials disenfranchised (at least) hundreds of people, the government seems to be...

House of Lords benches

There’s a sham election happening in Parliament. Here’s what you need to know

The idea that people can become lawmakers for life – simply because they were born into the ‘right’ family –...