Representation of the People Bill: 2nd Reading
There was a strong turnout of APPG members at the 2nd Reading debate of the Representation of the People Bill. As well as welcoming legislation to lower the voting age, tighten donation rules and empower the Electoral Commission, MPs called for action on the voting system, caps on donations, and other measures.
Notably, Labour MPs lined up to encourage the Government to establish a National Commission on Electoral Reform to review First Past the Post – with more echoing this call on LabourList, PoliticsHome, and Politics.co.uk – and supported by similar calls from across the House of Commons.
MPs also encouraged the Government to be bold on automatic voter registration and to introduce an upper limit on the amount that individual donors can give. The APPG for Fair Elections has long campaigned both for voters to be automatically registered and for caps on political donations.