Our letter to the Modernisation Committee

Sir Alan Campbell MP
Chair of the House of Commons Modernisation Committee

17th October 2025

Dear Sir Alan Campbell MP,

Congratulations on your appointment as Chair of the House of Commons Modernisation Committee.

As an experienced MP, you will be familiar with some of the significant changes the previous iteration of the Modernisation Committee made when it was set up in June 1997.

The 1997 Modernisation Committee produced its first report within two months and had published seven reports by the end of June 1998. 

Progress from the 2024 Modernisation Committee has been much slower. Beyond some welcome accessibility improvements around the House, there have been no significant changes put forward.

As the new Chair, we urge you to bring forward meaningful recommendations in the coming year to deliver on the strategic aims of the Committee in ‘driving up standards’, ‘improving culture and working practices’, and ‘reforming procedures’. 

As an organisation, we are strongly supportive of these aims. From our conversations with both the public and with MPs, we know there is strong support for changes in these areas. 

We also know that the best chance for change is nearly always in the first two years of a Parliament and we are now more than halfway through that.

The clock is ticking, please do use your position to ensure the Committee recommends significant measures that will help restore the public’s trust in politics.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Brake
Director
Unlock Democracy