News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

Around the World | Current Affairs Commentary | Developments at the ERS | Your Questions Answered | Case Studies

View by category

View by date

Why we need more than piecemeal reform of the House of Lords

The House of Lords is back in the spotlight, with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying that replacing the House of Lords with an elected senate of the nations and regions should form part of...

Posted 03 Feb 2021

7 democratic developments to watch out for this year

What does democracy look like in a pandemic? It’s a question that came up a lot last year – and 2021 seems no different. This year could see some major developments when it comes to...

Posted 18 Jan 2021

This year could see some major developments when it comes to voters rights

What is the House of Lords Appointments Commission?

A little-known non-departmental public body, the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), has recently been thrust into the spotlight, following the Prime Minister’s latest round of appointments to the House of Lords (if you weren’t...

Posted 12 Jan 2021

This is the first time that the Commissions advice has been ignored

Here’s how much the PM’s new unelected Lords could cost us

The House of Lords was already bursting at the seams, but the latest batch of appointments from the Prime Minister has taken it past breaking point. Over 800 unelected lawmakers will be voting on decisions...

Posted 04 Jan 2021

The new Lords could end up costing taxpayers as much as £728,688 a year

Replace Lords with a senate of the regions to help ‘level up’

Overhauling Parliament’s London-dominated second chamber would help empower the UK’s nations and regions, writes a senior director at the Electoral Reform Society. It’s been a year since Boris Johnson’s victory in the 2019 general election,...

Posted 22 Dec 2020

ERS in the Press – October 2020

This month has seen a renewed interest in proportional representation internationally. Willie Sullivan backed up the case for a fairer voting system in Canada, drawing on his experience in Scotland. “If you want a system...

Posted 29 Oct 2020

Hereditary peer by-elections have been paused. They should be scrapped entirely

The House of Lords just keeps getting bigger. Following the PM’s appointment of 36 new unelected peers, each week sees more introduced to a chamber that is bursting at the seams. The Lords themselves have...

Posted 18 Sep 2020

Aristocrats are guaranteed representation in our parliament

Voters have had enough of the unelected Lords. The PM and peers need to listen up

The first of the Prime Minister’s 36 new appointments to the unelected House of Lords have started to take their seats. They do so at a time of growing public outrage at the state of...

Posted 07 Sep 2020

Just 12% of people support keeping the chamber in its current form

Revealed: The true cost of Britain’s silent peers

There are many perks to being a member of the House of Lords. While many peers do work hard, it seems one of the perks is being able to claim expenses for doing very little....

Posted 17 Aug 2020

The unelected House of Lords is undermining Britain’s reputation

Britain's ability to speak up for democracy abroad has just taken a major self-inflicted hit.

Posted 06 Aug 2020