Unlock Democracy

"An electoral system that absolutely doesn't reflect opinion in the country." Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby told Bloomberg that First Past the Post is leaving millions of people feeling unrepresented in Parliament - causing “huge frustration” and fuelling instability in our politics.

"What did the billionaire lining his pockets ask for in return?" At PMQs, Keir Starmer raised the obvious question about Farage’s £5m gift. But if big money buys influence, surely no party or politician should accept mega donations? Better yet, stop them at source: cap donations across the board.

In the last decade, we've had: 6 Prime Ministers, potentially with the seventh just round the corner. 8 Chancellors. 9 Home Secretaries. 9 Foreign Secretaries. Yet Keir Starmer still has confidence in First Past the Post to deliver strong and stable government. He must be the only one.

💬 “It’s an extremely unpredictable & suboptimal system that requires voters to engage in a lot of game playing.” - @robfordmancs.bsky.social. In today's multi-party environment, First Past the Post lowers the bar for politicians while raising it for voters.

🗨️"The thing about a democracy is the electoral system is supposed to deliver what the voters want." Instead, looking around councils in England we see some very warped outcomes. But it doesn't have to be this way. In Scotland & Wales, the results better reflect the balance of opinion among voters.

“We do have to maintain a bedrock of freedom of speech and of peaceful protest... Otherwise, you don’t have democracy, you’ve locked it up.” Baroness Hale says it plainly. Yet just this week, MPs approved more draconian anti-protest measures. When dissent is suppressed, so is democracy itself.

Former Prime Minister, John Major, has called for a political donations cap. He recognises that allowing mega-rich individuals to make unlimited political donations gives those with the deepest pockets "undue influence" and "preferential access to ministers". What do you think?

"To not have a cap on donations risks much more than to have one." In yesterday’s evidence session on the Representation of the People Bill, Dr Sam Power argued for a cap on political donations, warning that without one, the very rich will continue to exert outsized influence on UK politics.

Should Nigel Farage be able to create 200 life peers after the next election? How will the House of Lords work if a party of government or the official opposition has no - or next to no - representation in the Lords? The House of Lords is unprepared for today's multi-party politics.

“Multi-party politics is here to stay - and given our electoral system, which is built on the premise of two-party politics, that means a lot more volatility, a lot more uncertainty.” Looking ahead to May, @robfordmancs.bsky.social predicts “a patchwork quilt of political fragmentation.”

In 2024, the govt's Lords spokesman warned that ministers setting a Strategy & Policy Statement for the Electoral Commission was “inconsistent with the Commission’s role as an independent regulator." Just over a year later, the govt admitted plans for a new Statement to reflect its own priorities.

The Mandelson–Epstein scandal must be the trigger for big change in our politics. Most politicians aren’t in it for the money or privilege. But the murky nexus of politics, influence & money that Mandelson embodied corrodes trust in the whole system. Time to clean up politics. Credit: TRIP

Trust is higher when power is exercised closer to people. That’s one reason why much more power should be shifted out of Westminster to the nations, regions and to local communities. Proximity to power shouldn’t just be reserved for the wealthy and well-connected.

Voters should have their say on what's going on in their communities - not least the massive, unnecessary local government reorganisation that is being imposed on them by Whitehall.

Say one thing; do another. Hardly the highest standards in public office we were promised. Then: "because appointments are for life, the second chamber of Parliament has become too big." (2024 election manifesto) Now: create more new peers than the number of hereditary peers you are set to remove.

Even long-time defenders of First Past the Post are struggling to make its case. George Osborne warns that in today’s multi-party landscape, FPTP can no longer be seen as a bulwark against the extremes, but more like a “floodgate”. Any party topping 30% could sweep away its rivals.

A level electoral playing field needs an independent referee. Great to talk to BBC Today in Parliament last week about the campaign to restore the Electoral Commission’s independence. Power must not police itself. Full episode 👇 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Keir Starmer thinks his government has restored trust and respect to politics…

Now more than ever, we need to fight back to protect democracy in the UK. Please support us by backing our Crowdfunder today. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-crucial-...

The Devolution Bill claims to be about ‘empowering communities’ - but it “does nothing of the sort.” David Blunkett is right: the Bill will shift power away from local communities and hand it to new mega-councils. Centralisation dressed up as empowerment is still centralisation.

Young people who begin voting at 16 are more likely to stay voters for life. We can’t wait to see that energy in UK elections 🗳️ #v16 #VotesAt16

A truly independent elections watchdog is important for giving voters confidence that our elections are free and fair. Having opposed the last government's policy of interference, it’s shameful that Labour is now committed to maintaining political control of the Electoral Commission.

“The traditional foundations of Conservative and Labour politics are not there.” At this week’s webinar, Prof Sir John Curtice brilliantly explained why the two-party system is breaking down like never before. Electorally, he argued, “we are in a different world.” The voting system must catch up.

“There is now majority support for electoral reform among the voters of all five principal parties across the UK.” Fantastic to host the esteemed Prof Sir John Curtice at our joint UD-MVM webinar this week. If you missed it, you can watch it back here 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXme...

With Parliament now in recess & some MPs head off to the beach, a reminder that - technically - there’s nothing to stop them doing this all year round while still drawing their salary. A job description for MPs would help to set enforceable minimum standards. Find out more 👇 youtu.be/LpcpEdA62Gk