During yesterday's debate on the Representation of the People Bill, our Vice-Chair @elliechowns.bsky.social laid out our three priorities to fix our democracy: ✅ Stop the harmful influence of dark and big money ✅ Tackle disinformation ✅ Implement a fair voting system in which all votes matter
APPG for Fair Elections
@appgfairelections.bsky.social
All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections. Parliament's largest APPG. Chair: @alexsobel.co.uk Secretariat: @makevotesmatter.bsky.social & @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social 🔗 https://fairelections.org.uk
We agree that changing the voting system requires a national conversation - one involving the public. That's why we're calling on Andy Burnham to set up a National Commission on Electoral Reform - to design a better, proportional voting system that's fit for modern Britain.
💥💥💥"The government's priority is a politics that works for all people in all places - not some people in some places. The Prime Minister remains committed to electoral reform." Great to hear this from Democracy Minister Florence Eshalomi 💯 But now it's time for action 👇🧵
🚨A system that allows one party to take full power on a small fraction of the vote is also one that's easier to manipulate. The consequences could be incredibly dangerous. 💬 @alexsobel.co.uk on why reforming the voting system and curbing the influence of big money go hand in hand:
Today is the third reading of the Representation of the People Bill. The biggest amendment to the bill - signed by over 170 MPs from across the House - calls for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. Our voting system needs an urgent review. We hope the government listens.
📢 The Representation of the People Bill is back in Parliament next week. 📝 By far the most-backed amendment is the one calling for a review of the UK's voting system, tabled by @alexsobel.co.uk. 📻 @mike-reader.bsky.social made the case for it this morning 👇
“Burnham, a longtime advocate of electoral reform, will be asked to support the new commission into ditching First Past the Post in his first 100 days as Prime Minister." 🗯️ “Andy remains strongly committed to electoral reform" @andyburnham.bsky.social #ProportionalRepresentation #Democracy
Labour MPs will push Burnham to back voting reform in first 100 days
Exclusive: Nearly 100 Labour MPs support commission on changing the system used for Westminster election
theguardian.com
Safeguarding the Constitution: Key Steps to Strengthen UK Democratic Resilience Our latest report, by @lisajames.bsky.social, Meg Russell and @alanrenwick.bsky.social, sets out concrete reforms in a number of areas to safeguard the constitution and protect the integrity of democracy. Read it 👇
New Constitution Unit report makes recommendations to safeguard UK democracy
A new Constitution Unit report, Safeguarding the Constitution: Key Steps to Strengthen UK Democratic Resilience, by Lisa James, Meg Russell and Alan Renwick, focuses on protecting the constitution.
ucl.ac.uk
The Constitution Unit has a new report with 21 recommendations for safeguarding UK democracy, including: 🔍 How a review of the electoral system should work 💰 A donations cap for political parties 🤖 Tackling misinformation and AI deepfakes at elections www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo...
New Constitution Unit report makes recommendations to safeguard UK democracy
A new Constitution Unit report, Safeguarding the Constitution: Key Steps to Strengthen UK Democratic Resilience, by Lisa James, Meg Russell and Alan Renwick, focuses on protecting the constitution.
ucl.ac.uk
💬 "This is the most supported amendment in this Parliament by a distance." @alexsobel.co.uk spoke to @hansardsociety.bsky.social podcast about ways to strengthen the Representation of the People Bill, including his amendment on electoral reform. 🎧 Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/0Alv...
💥 Philip Rycroft - author of the Rycroft Review into countering foreign financial interference - argued for electoral reform at @conunitucl.bsky.social: "We as a country need to think very seriously about this because there’s an awful lot of folk... whose vote leads to no effective representation."
❗️More than 140 MPs now back @alexsobel.co.uk's amendment for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. 📢 Yesterday in Parliament, MPs made the case for it during a debate about the future of the UK's voting system. 👉 Full list of signatories: bills.parliament.uk/bills/4080/s...
💥 More than 140 MPs back @alexsobel.co.uk's amendment calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. The new Prime Minister will have no time to waste. Our democracy is broken - it's time to design and adopt a system that's fit for the modern era.
Over 80 Labour MPs sign electoral reform amendment
The demands for electoral reform are growing, with more than 80 Labour MPs, 20 per cent of the Parliamentary Labour Party, now signing an amendment calling for a National Commission on Electoral Refor...
leftfootforward.org
🚀 134 MPs have now signed @alexsobel.co.uk's NC31 amendment calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform 📊 The amendment is now backed by more than one in five MPs And by MPs from 7 parties It’s time to address the broken First Past the Post voting system Full list of signatories 👇
Amendment NC31 to Representation of the People Bill to Representation of the People Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament
Alex Sobel's amendment (NC31) to Representation of the People Bill, proposed during Report stage
bills.parliament.uk
"We're having situations where parties are winning seats on 25% of the votes." As the failures of our voting system are becoming more clear than ever, the case for Proportional Representation is attracting more and more media attention. Here's @patrick-pme.bsky.social on Radio 4 👇
💥 113 MPs have now signed the amendment tabled by @alexsobel.co.uk calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform ⚠️ First Past the Post is broken. Ask your MP to sign amendment NC31 of the Representation of the People Bill
Amendment NC31 to Representation of the People Bill to Representation of the People Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament
Alex Sobel's amendment (NC31) to Representation of the People Bill, proposed during Report stage
bills.parliament.uk
✍️ 111 MPs have already signed @alexsobel.co.uk amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. ❗️This makes it the most-backed amendment to the Bill.
Amendment NC31 to Representation of the People Bill to Representation of the People Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament
Alex Sobel's amendment (NC31) to Representation of the People Bill, proposed during Report stage
bills.parliament.uk
🧵 Our May 7th elections analysis was published today. The findings are stark: - 41.4% of wards were won by by less than 5% - 398 wards were decided by less than 1% - 9 wards were decided by a 1 vote Election ads will now be increasingly decisive. reformpoliticaladvertising.org/after-the-vo...
A warning to all political parties from Sir John Curtice: “If your vote goes down and becomes more geographically spread, the system will murder you." This week we were in Parliament for @appgfairelections.bsky.social event about the local election results. Read our blog 👇
Do the Local Elections Strengthen the case for Electoral Reform? APPG for Fair Elections event with Sir John Curtice - Make Votes Matter
By Emma Harrison, CEO of Make Votes Matter.
makevotesmatter.org.uk
🔉Yesterday in Parliament, our Chair @alexsobel.co.uk spoke about our amendment calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. 📝 We're pleased that 70 MPs have now signed it! 👉 Read more here: fairelections.org.uk/over-60-labo...
. @justinmadders.bsky.social MP (Labour) speaking at our recent event with the @appgfairelections.bsky.social Preventing Disinformation in UK Elections about the urgent need to get rules in place for election advertising. Listen to the whole event here. reformpoliticaladvertising.org/3556-2/
Interesting event tonight on electoral reform in parliament with @appgfairelections.bsky.social with Sir John Curtis, Tim Bale and @zoesqwilliams.bsky.social. We've also analysis we are releasing next week that illustrates how perilous disinfo will be for democracy in our new five party system.
Local elections confirm it: we’re a five‑party system. Yet FPTP means seats don’t match votes and stability isn’t guaranteed. Govt’s restoring Supplementary Vote for mayors, so why keep FPTP for Westminster? The Representation of the People Bill is a start, but FPTP must go. #FairElections #PR #FPTP
🗳️ The local election results show that the need to reform the voting system "has never been greater," says APPG member @wendychambld.bsky.social Business Questions to the Leader of the House this morning 👇
⚠️ "The winner-takes-all system means that a party can secure a huge majority of seats on a minority of votes. This poses a major democratic risk." 🔊 Our Vice-Chair @elliechowns.bsky.social during Business Questions to the Leader of the House this morning:
...We are likely to see a wave of councillors claiming victory on 20 per cent or less. “Is that representative? Does that give them a mandate? One in five, of people who actually bothered to turn out to vote? That’s a difficult sell in democracy.” www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Is it finally time for proportional representation?
With England now a five-party system, first past the post feels less and less democratic
newstatesman.com
We're taking FPTP to bold new exciting places.
📣 Several members of the APPG are quoted in this article, which also talks about our work to secure a fair voting system. 💬 "The two things you want to see from an electoral system are that seats match votes, and that you can form stable governments. FPTP delivers neither," says @alexsobel.co.uk
Is it finally time for proportional representation?
With England now a five-party system, first past the post feels less and less democratic
newstatesman.com
📣 Getting the Representation of the People Bill Right: Preventing Disinformation in UK Elections 📣 Thank you to everyone who joined our event in Parliament last night! 💬 Featuring a cross-party panel of MPs alongside @reformpoliticalads.bsky.social and @fullfact.org.
⚠️Sir John Curtice says Labour and the Conservatives can no longer rely on First Past the Post Asked by @danbloom1.bsky.social of @politico.com if Westminster's electoral system was tenable, Britain's leading polling expert said “Those who live by the sword can die by the sword” #ElectoralReform
⚠️Sir John Curtice says Labour and the Conservatives can no longer rely on First Past the Post Asked by @danbloom1.bsky.social of @politico.com if Westminster's electoral system was tenable, Britain's leading polling expert said “Those who live by the sword can die by the sword” #ElectoralReform