Three issues that need tackling this General Election Let’s use this election as a chance to re-build democracy on stronger and fairer foundations As the UK prepares for its next general election in December, it is important to revise what needs to be... Posted 05 Nov 2019
Could social media warp the next General Election? Facebook recently triggered a major public debate by changing its rules on posts by political campaigners. Previously these had been open to ‘fact-checking’ by trusted organisations. However, the new decision means the site will not... Posted 29 Oct 2019
Dark ads and dodgy donors: How the Queen’s Speech missed a chance to protect our democracy There was a conspicuous silence in the Queen’s Speech on Monday. Despite announcing a bill to protect ‘electoral integrity’ (by making it harder for us all to vote), there was inaction on updating Britain’s outdated... Posted 18 Oct 2019
At our Lib Dem fringe, panelists looked at future proofing our campaigning laws With proportional representation a long-term policy of the Liberal Democrats, we took the opportunity to discuss the wider crisis in our democracy at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference in Bournemouth this year. As the possibility... Posted 03 Oct 2019
An election could happen at any time – electoral law needs to be urgently updated Last week, the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee published its response to the government’s Online Harms White Paper, where it called for urgent legislation to safeguard future elections. Echoing the... Posted 11 Jul 2019
We’ve told Parliament the case for updating our campaign rules – now it’s time to act Current electoral legislation is not fit for purpose. The core elements of our electoral law date back to Victorian times, with legislation failing to keep up with societal and cultural changes, and developments in digital... Posted 28 Jun 2019
ERS is the Press: May 2019 In a month that began and ended with elections for local councils and the European Parliament – both of which showed the changing nature of British politics and the continued decline of the two main... Posted 05 Jun 2019
A new all-party group has been launched to update Britain’s ‘wild west’ election campaign rules As we get closer to the European elections, here’s a worrying fact: our elections are currently wide open to foreign interference and dodgy campaigning. Election rules in the UK haven’t been updated since the year... Posted 15 May 2019
Imprints – finally some action to update our analogue laws for the digital age In a victory for voters; campaigners; academics; the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee; and the Electoral Commission, among many others, the government has finally committed to extending imprints (disclosures stating who has paid for... Posted 07 May 2019
Ministers can’t let themselves of the hook when it comes to tackling the social media ‘Wild West’ Last week the government launched a consultation into tackling ‘online harm’. It’s the first step towards dealing with the tech barons of the new ‘wild west’. But ministers can’t let themselves off the hook just... Posted 15 Apr 2019