Labour’s election reforms represent real progress - but there’s significant work still to do
The government’s new elections strategy is a welcome step in the right direction - modernisation that’s long overdue. Not the full answer, but progress.
Ministers say its goal is “bold but simple: to reclaim Britain’s democracy as an aspiration for the rest of the world.” That’s an ambition we applaud - but there’s a long way to go to make it real. The upcoming consultations will be a crucial test of whether this strategy can live up to its promise.
Votes at 16 rightly grabbed many headlines. A manifesto pledge by the government, it’s great to see this now being delivered. It will give young people a real say in their future and, we hope, encourage politicians to engage with issues that matter to young people. When 16-year olds were given the vote in Scotland, they used it, and have carried on voting as they’ve got older. Democratic habits start early, and engaging people in politics from a younger age helps build a more resilient democracy.
We’re encouraged by the government’s ambition to modernise the UK’s Victorian-era voter registration with a move towards automatic voter registration. In 2023 the Electoral Commission estimated that 7-8 million eligible voters were missing from British electoral registers, disproportionately the young, private renters and ethnic minority voters. Through smarter use of digital technology, the government can bring registration into the 21st century, ensuring every eligible citizen is registered to vote. This will be particularly important to making votes at 16 a success.
It’s also positive that the government is bringing forward measures to tackle the intimidation, harassment and abuse faced by election workers, campaigners and candidates. Abuse has no place in our democracy.
And yet, while there is plenty in the government’s plans to be positive about, there are some bewildering omissions.Take restoring the independence of the Electoral Commission. This should have been the easiest win in the entire strategy. When the last government took a sledgehammer to the Commission’s independence by allowing ministers to set its strategy and policy, Labour rightly called it out. Yet now they’ve fallen quiet. Few things matter more for the health of a democracy than having an elections watchdog that is genuinely independent. Restoring its independence costs nothing and would have shown the government is serious about fixing the foundations of free and fair elections. It’s baffling why the government has not included this in its proposals.
Then there’s political donations. Interest in this topic piqued around the time of Elon Musk’s mooted multi-million pound donation to Reform UK. Yet nothing in ministers’ plans will loosen the grip of the super rich on our politics. Outlawing donations via shell companies, and tighter rules for unincorporated associations, are welcome - but neither will stop wealthy business owners with UK income streams from bankrolling parties. In other words, they don’t pass the ‘Musk’ test. Without a cap on political donations, our elections are wide open to billionaires buying influence at the expense of ordinary voters. The public already thinks wealthy donors wield overbearing influence over what parties and politicians do and say. Until a cap is in place, voters will keep wondering, ‘who’s pulling their strings?’
And of course, there is the elephant in the room: our voting system is unfit for today’s multi-party politics. The government recognises this, only last week promising to replace First Past the Post for mayoral elections due to mayors being elected on tiny shares of the vote. But the same logic also applies to elections for MPs.
In July 2024, just shy of 100 MPs were elected on less than 35% of the vote. Next election, winning shares are likely to be even lower. A recent YouGov poll suggested that, were an election held that day, 140 MPs would have been elected with the support of less than 30% of the vote, while a party could win a majority in Parliament with just 29% of the vote. A fairer, proportional system would ensure that MPs and governments have broad support from the voters. Poll after poll shows that Proportional Representation is more popular than ever. Its absence from the government’s plans is conspicuous.
Earlier this month, Unlock Democracy scored Labour’s first-year action on democracy against its manifesto proposals. It didn’t make pretty reading for ministers. This week’s elections strategy changes that for the better.
Votes at 16 and automatic voter registration are important steps forward. But the sheer scale of the problems in our politics and the breakdown in public trust demand more ambitious solutions. Ministers have said as much themselves. The coming months will demonstrate whether they can match words with action in delivering an Elections Bill that meets the challenges we face. We look forward to working with all partners to deliver this.
This blog was first posted to Parliament News 19/07/25.