UCL Constitution Unit (@conunitucl.bsky.social)

UK government urged to restore Electoral Commission’s independence to protect democracy Oversight of watchdog could be abused by a future authoritarian government, report warns The independence of the Electoral Commission must be fully restored to protect the UK’s electoral integrity from a future authoritarian government, a new report warns. The Democracy in Danger report by Spotlight on Corruption found the UK government is in breach of eight different international standards on ensuring the independence of electoral bodies by maintaining the government’s oversight of the watchdog. The UK government is in breach of eight different international standards on ensuring the independence of electoral bodies by maintaining the new power in place. All the constitutional oversight bodies that reviewed the ministerial power opposed its introduction – including two parliamentary committees, the UK’s top ethics body, the Committee on Standards in Public Life, and the Electoral Commission’s oversight body, the Speaker’s Committee. The UK has plummeted down international rankings for electoral body autonomy since the power was introduced and now ranks 44th, among countries such as Ghana, Nepal and Croatia. It has fallen out of line with comparable countries such as Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. The power, which was described by the former MI5 director general and chair of the top ethics body, Lord Evans, as “giving a toddler a gun”, could be used by a future government with autocratic tendencies to distort electoral rules in its favour to maintain power. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/28/uk-government-urged-to-restore-electoral-commissions-independence-to-protect-democracy?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky&CMP=bsky_gu