24 years ago the Greater London Authority Act gained royal assent This weekend (11th November) marks the 24th anniversary of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 gaining royal assent. The Greater London Authority, comprising the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, was first elected in... Posted 10 Nov 2023
First Past the Post in mayoral elections means less choice and a weaker voice This week, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he is facing his ‘toughest election yet’ but why is that? When Labour have a national polling majority of somewhere in the region of 20... Posted 02 Nov 2023
New rules see Mayors elected without majority support Coverage of the local elections has been dominated by punditry over what the results mean for next year’s general election and the government’s controversial voter ID scheme, which saw countless people turned away from casting... Posted 10 May 2023
What elections should the next government reform? Last week we published a blog on UK electoral reforms since 1997 and highlighted that whilst at Westminster the fight for electoral reform continues, the progress of reform across the UK increased and voters are... Posted 08 Mar 2023
What Electoral reforms have there been since 1997? While the need for reforming Westminster’s First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system is getting clearer every day, outside Westminster the process of reform has been slowly, but surely, going in the right direction. While... Posted 02 Mar 2023
ERS in the Press: January 2022 Scandal and crisis at the heart of government have dominated the news as we begin 2022. Yet in a packed news cycle of covid regulation breaking parties in Downing Street, and a pantomime-esque will-they-won’t-they over... Posted 04 Feb 2022
The government aren’t listening – make your voices heard on 5th February Join the Elections Bill Rally in Parliament Square. The passing of the government’s Election Bill through the House of Commons last week was a huge blow to democracy. It now heads to the Lords, with... Posted 28 Jan 2022
Now it’s over to the Lords to prevent the government’s assault on democracy Yesterday was a dark day for democracy. Despite widespread opposition from campaigners, election experts, academics and civil society the government’s Elections Bill successfully passed through the commons. The Bill includes clauses introducing voter ID, more... Posted 18 Jan 2022
The government should stop and re-think Elections Bill as it returns to the Commons The government’s Elections Bill returns to the House of Commons on Monday 17th January despite the opposition against their plans growing from all sides of the chamber. The bill has faced fierce opposition from campaigners,... Posted 14 Jan 2022
Even senior MPs agree the government needs to pause and rethink the Elections Bill Earlier this week, the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs (PACAC) select committee published the final report of its inquiry into the Elections Bill. In a highly critical report, the influential committee heeded... Posted 17 Dec 2021