Rugby MP's column: Beyond the ballot box - building a more representative democracy
Rugby's MP John Slinger writes a regular column for The Rugby Advertiser. This week he discusses the Representation of the People Bill.
Our democracy must be defended from those who would treat it as a plaything, and representation of the people is at the heart of it.
One of the most defining laws of this Parliament takes its name from that idea – quite literally: the Representation of the People Bill. Calling it an important piece of legislation is an understatement. Its main purpose is to modernise elections and expand democratic participation.
I welcome the Government's actions to bring forward measures that protect candidates and officials, restore the independence of the Electoral Commission, and shut the door on foreign money and crypto donations entering our politics. The moratorium on crypto assets and the cap on overseas donations respond directly to the warnings in Philip Rycroft's review, and I was glad to support them. Our energy, defence and democracy, like our steel, depend on foundations built by the British people, in Britain, for the British people.
The Bill also gives 16 and 17-year-olds the vote and expands voter ID, thereby enfranchising more people and enabling them to engage with our democratic processes.
Importantly, throughout the Bill's passage in Parliament, I heard the calls of constituents who clearly stated their desire for changes to the way we vote, with many advocating for a system of proportional representation.
That is why I signed Alex Sobel MP's amendment, New Clause 31, alongside colleagues from across the House, calling for a National Commission on Electoral Reform. Change may be unfashionable with some in Westminster, but I believe our voting system is a question we ignore at our peril. This amendment merely sought a commission to explore the options; it wasn't calling explicitly for PR.
In addition, I also backed; NC61 (Yuan Yang), NC 70 (Annelise Dodds), NC34 (Liam Byrne) and Amendments 31-34 (Mark Sewards). This suite of amendments covers checks on new parties’ start-up capital, reducing campaign spending limits by 15%, banning crypto-asset donations outright, and strengthening Know Your Donor Checks, so that foreign influence risk is explicitly considered as part of due diligence on donors.
While none of these amendments were selected to be voted upon, it is important that they start or continue the conversation about how we can represent you more effectively. They put pressure on the Government to go further.
There is a need for improvements with representative democracy at the local level too. Representation is not simply about winning an election. It is about what you do with the responsibility that the people give you through their vote. On that measure, the record of Reform's first year and a bit at Shire Hall deserves serious scrutiny.
Its first leader resigned after just six weeks. The next leader Cllr George Finch faced a vote of no confidence. The administration voted to spend £150,000 of taxpayers' money on political advisers. It became embroiled in a dispute with the council's chief executive over a Pride flag and claimed our libraries are promoting a political ideology. They offered no evidence for that. I challenged this publicly and discussed my concerns with the libraires minister.
Furthermore, Warwickshire County Council have recently made the decision to launch a consultation on whether to continue funding EQuIP - a vital service that provides support, advice and training on issues surrounding discrimination, hate crimes and equality
It has faced repeated code of conduct complaints and allegations from councillors of a culture of fear among dedicated council staff. Its group has haemorrhaged members to defections, here and across the country, some resigning in disgust.
I do not call that representing the people of Warwickshire.
The question of foreign influence in politics makes the contrast with the Representation of the People Bill even sharper. The risks posed by overseas money are not theoretical. Recent allegations involving Reform UK have demonstrated why stronger safeguards around political donations and proper checks on donors are necessary. The Bill's "know your donor" provisions are designed precisely to strengthen those protections.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. It is hard won, easily damaged and always worth defending. It is fragile, and it must be left in a better place than we found it. This Bill is a welcome next step. The National Commission I and others have called for would be a wiser one. I urge the Government to think again.