Our letter to the Prime Minister

23rd January 2026

Dear Prime Minister,

Regulators must be independent of those they regulate.

But in 2022, the last government jeopardised the independence of the Electoral Commission by giving the government the power to set a Strategy and Policy Statement for the Commission.

In opposition, your Shadow Minister for Democracy, Alex Norris MP, rightly said:

“It is not for this Government or any Government, be they Labour or Conservative, to dictate the priorities of an independent watchdog.”

The Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life warned that the government having power over the elections watchdog:

“is like giving a toddler a gun … it may not immediately lead to disaster, but it’s an extremely dangerous thing to do.”

The Electoral Commission has also said the changes:

 “enable a government in the future to influence the Commission’s operational functions and decision-making.”

Please heed their warnings and restore the Electoral Commission’s independence in the upcoming Elections Bill.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Brake

CEO, Unlock Democracy