Unlock Democracy

Why is the govt failing to restore trust in politics? Can they turn things around? Who better to ask than esteemed political analyst Prof Sir John Curtice. Join us on Tuesday 29th July for a wide-ranging discussion on the health of British democracy 👇 bit.ly/3IJRQLm

With Parliament now in recess & some MPs head to the beach, a reminder that - technically - there’s nothing to stop them doing this all year round while still drawing a salary. A job description for MPs would help to set enforceable minimum standards 👇 youtu.be/LpcpEdA62Gk

If Boris Johnson had needed to repay his PM’s severance pay after taking a job at the Daily Mail in breach of Acoba rules, he would have been returning £18,660. His salary is reported to be six figures. Just one of the flaws in the government’s announcement on standards reform.

Reform of the House of Lords is exceptionally rare – the last government reform Bill that made it out of the Commons was 26 years ago. We can't help feeling the Hereditary Peers Bill is a massive missed opportunity. leftfootforward.org/2025/07/the-he…

Is the Ethics and Integrity Commission finally about to arrive? Will it "stamp out corruption and restore trust in public office", as Labour promised? Or will it just be a rebrand of the same, rotten standards system? We'll find out next week, it seems. telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/…

What we're reading this week: Taking a look at the Elections Bill strategy & the Mansion House speech @UnlockDemocracy @TransparencyUK @LabourList @guardian @c_huebner @NewCapConsensus @FT @George_Nixon97 @thetimes radixbigtent.org.uk/news-comment/m…

Votes at 16 is a big step forward. The evidence from Scotland, where 16 and 17-year olds have had the vote since 2014, is that young people engage strongly with democracy and, when they start voting early, they keep on voting as they get older. That can only boost our democracy.

A welcome step forward: civil society must be able to challenge government safely. But scepticism remains about the government's commitment to peaceful protest. Their actions to date indicate peaceful protest is not exactly safe in their hands. theguardian.com/society/2025/j…

Launching: A Roadmap to Votes at 16 🚨 We’re proud to support A Roadmap to Votes at 16 🗳️ - a report co-created with organisations, teachers, youth workers and young people to make Votes at 16 a success. 👉 Read the full report: docsend.com/view/9nnhamtp8… @Democracyroom

“Crypto donations, and the heightened risk of crypto being used to channel foreign money into UK politics, are a clear and present danger to democratic integrity.” Our Director urges the government to use its elections strategy to safeguard democracy👇 theguardian.com/politics/2025/…

🔔 CONFIRMED: the Government is abandoning First Past the Post... for mayoral and PCC elections. This is the first acknowledgement we’ve seen from the Government that FPTP is not fit for purpose in an age of multi-party politics. Mayoral elections should be just the first step.

Moving back to preferential voting for mayors is great news, if true. We saw two months ago mayors winning on just 25% of the vote thanks to First Past the Post. A return to SV will make sure mayors need broader public support to get elected. themj.co.uk/devo-reintrodu…

The perception of cronyism continues to haunt this government. Is this the 'reset in our public life', or the 'clean-up that ensures the highest standards of integrity' Labour spoke about in its manifesto? open.substack.com/pub/democracyf…

Voting is becoming more like buying a lottery ticket than choosing who you want as an MP or a Government. First Past the Post, built for two parties, can't cope with the reality of British politics today. unlockdemocracy.org.uk/blog1/2025/7/8…