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New pandemic, new politics? Parliament must be innovative when it returns after recess

Next Tuesday, MPs and Peers return to Parliament. In theory, at least...

Posted 14 Apr 2020

Keir Starmer will have to combine working together with in-depth scrutiny

Within hours of victory, new Labour leader Keir Starmer had vowed to work with Boris Johnson ‘in the national interest’ to tackle the mounting coronavirus crisis – following a letter from the PM urging opposition...

Posted 09 Apr 2020

We have to start here and now, to fill the vacuum of scrutiny

Isle of Man: World’s oldest parliament goes online

Parliaments around the world are looking at new ways to conduct business during the Coronavirus crisis. We’d like to thank the Hon. Juan Watterson, Speaker of the Isle of Man’s House of Keys for taking...

Posted 06 Apr 2020

ERS in the Press – March 2020

These are difficult and uncertain times, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down most normal activity in politics and across the country this month. Despite the disruption, we’ve been campaigning the most democratic and safe Parliamentary...

Posted 06 Apr 2020

Pressure is growing for a ‘virtual Parliament’ to hold politicians to account

With Parliament now on a pause for four weeks, serious questions are being asked about how life-changing decisions will be scrutinised at this time of crisis. In March, Parliament voted through a raft of emergency...

Posted 02 Apr 2020

Speakerbacks calls for a virtual Parliament

How other parliaments are handling the coronavirus outbreak

The scale of the coronavirus challenge is almost unprecedented in modern Britain. It also presents enormous new challenges for how democracy operates amid a pandemic. This week, the Cabinet met for the first time without...

Posted 01 Apr 2020

New Zealand has set up a new select committee, chaired by the Leader of the Opposition, to scrutinise government decisions

The ERS, democracy and the coronavirus crisis

ERS staff are, as you would imagine, working from home, and our events and meetings have all been postponed. While the office is closed, we’re still keeping up our work remotely (do contact ers@electoral-reform.org.uk if...

Posted 24 Mar 2020