We hosted a discussion entitled 'What next for UK democracy?' Joining us were Lord Newby, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, and Josiah Mortimer, chief reporter for Byline Times.

The discussion kicked off with each of the speakers setting out their assessment of each of the UK's political parties’ positions on democracy issues. This led to a broader conversation about potential democratic reforms that could be introduced during this Parliament.

Lord Newby spoke about the government’s plans for House of Lords reform and extending the vote to 16 and 17 year olds. He also outlined important democratic issues that the current government is not likely to address, including Proportional Representation for General Elections.

Josiah Mortimer shared his insights from attending the party conferences. He indicated that there was little attention given to democratic reform at the Labour and Conservative party conferences.

Questions from Unlock Democracy and UD supporters followed. These included questions about the internal and external pressures that could lead to democratic reforms being introduced and whether the government would devolve more power to local authorities.

Although there were major concerns shared about the state of democracy in Britain, both Lord Newby and Josiah Mortimer saw reasons to feel positively about the future of democracy in the UK.

A key reason for optimism was the role that passionate individuals and organisations, including Unlock Democracy, can play in creating a more democratic future for all.

Thank you to our panellists for their excellent contributions, and thank you to our members and supporters for coming along. 
You can watch our Webinar on Youtube now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VpUlHReVGc