Democracy campaigners challenge ‘dither and delay’ in publishing Russian interference report

• Statement from the Electoral Reform Society for immediate release, 7^th November 2019

Commenting on the delay to the government publishing a report into potential Russian interference in UK elections [1], Dr Jess Garland, Director of Policy and Research for the Electoral Reform Society:

“This is part of a trend of dither and delay when it comes to dealing with the dangerous loopholes in our electoral law. We’ve seen report after report call for urgent action to bring our campaign rules into the 21st century – and zero action so far.

“The public need to know the full picture when it comes to previous elections so we can act now and be aware of risks this election and many more face. This is much bigger than Brexit – it’s about the future of our democracy.

“The lack of transparency and action on plausible threats fosters distrust. It’s time to shine a light on dark ads, dodgy donations and disinformation.

“The government have unfortunately been keen to go after ordinary voters through mandatory voter ID with scant evidence to justify it. Meanwhile we see inexplicable delays in responding to genuine risks to democratic integrity. The public would be fair to note the inaction when it comes to dealing with big money in politics – while ministers raise the drawbridge for ordinary voters.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

[1] https://news.sky.com/story/michael-gove-refuses-to-explain-delay-on-report-into-russias-covert-action-in-britain-11854658