The Reformer

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Distorting mirror of first past the post
Electoral Reform in Westminster

The danger of choosing a voting system that works for you today

We all have a party we lean toward. Maybe we’ve stuck with them for decades, maybe our loyalties shift with...

Small changes in support result in wildly different outcomes
Electoral Reform in Westminster

First Past the Post could catapult Reform UK into government

A new YouGov MRP poll, published on 26 September 2025, provides another snapshot of the chaotic democratic outcomes being caused...

Lib Dem conference 2025
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Strong support for fair votes and jubilant mood at Lib Dem Conference

I have just returned from a very sunny weekend in Bournemouth at the annual Liberal Democrat conference. As is usually...

The Commission must be accountable to Parliament as a whole - not the government of _the day
Campaign Regulation

Why Electoral Commission independence matters

This week, a new report from Spotlight on Corruption highlighted the impact of Electoral Commission independence to the UK’s democratic standing....

Labour won a commanding majority, even though two-thirds did not vote for the party
Electoral Reform in Westminster

How many votes did Labour get in 2024?

On election night in 2024, the headlines celebrated a Labour landslide. Crowds cheered, pundits predicted a bold new direction, and...

English Local Democracy

Councillors keep winning with less than a third of the vote – what can England and Wales learn from Scotland?

Each week, usually on a Thursday, a number of local council by-elections take place around Britain. As with UK parliamentary...

National Commission on Electoral Reform terms of reference
Electoral Reform in Westminster

MPs suggest National Commission on Electoral Reform

In our increasingly fragmented and volatile political environment, the case for electoral reform becomes clearer every day. And as the...

Proportional Representation means voters get what they ask for
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Norway’s election shows how multi-party politics doesn’t have to mean random results

Norway went to the polls on 8 September for their general election. The Scandinavian country has now used proportional representation...

This bill has the opportunity to not just repair the damage, but improve on what we had
English Local Democracy

MPs vote to cut short First Past the Post’s imposition on Mayors

On 2 September 2025, the House of Commons held the second reading of the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill....

Does the setting shape the spirit of our democratic conversations?
Citizens' Assemblies

What Denmark’s Folkemødet can teach us about rebuilding trust in democracy

This summer, I visited Folkemødet, Denmark’s annual democracy festival held in the coastal town of Allinge on the island of...

Merely trimming off a few members here and there would be like giving a haircut to a patient that needs major surgery
House of Lords

Sticking-plaster reforms won’t fix the absurd and undemocratic Lords – the real solution is obvious

The absurdity of how the House of Lords currently operates has been thrown up in technicolour over the last few...

Ministerial visit to Dunfermline
Citizens' Assemblies

Government minister visits Dunfermline to find out about Citizens’ Assembly project

Last week, Dunfermline took another confident stride toward becoming a beacon of democratic innovation in Scotland. On Tuesday, Public Finance...