The government has announced it will repeal in full the power for ministers to impose a strategy and policy statement on the Electoral Commission, in a move welcomed by campaigners who warned the measure could be used to undermine democracy. Steve Reed, the communities secretary, told MPs that the legislation was being removed as part of a new elections bill.
The powers, introduced under the Conservative Elections Act 2022, had been criticised for allowing political interference in the work of the supposedly independent commission. A report by the campaign group Spotlight on Corruption warned they “could easily be abused to undermine our democracy”.
The announcement follows complaints by Reform UK about the conduct of elections, after the party lost the Gorton and Denton byelection by more than 4,000 votes to the Greens. Nigel Farage claimed his party was “cheated”, citing alleged incidents of proxy voting and corruption in postal voting. Reform MP Danny Kruger alleged in the Commons that large numbers of UK voters from Asian backgrounds were “taking their orders on how to vote from mosques and from clans”. The Electoral Commission, however, reported that confidence in the voting system was high at the 2024 general election, with the main postal voting issue being late delivery of ballot papers.
The repeal was welcomed by MPs from several parties. Lisa Smart of the Liberal Democrats called for further strengthening of the commission, while Green MP Ellie Chowns made a similar point. Labour MP Valerie Vaz said she was “delighted” that no government would be able to interfere. Tom Brake, of Unlock Democracy, said the move was “a decisive step towards rebuilding public trust”.
The representation of the people bill also includes extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, trials of automatic voter registration, and plans to ease voter ID rules introduced under the Conservatives, potentially allowing digital ID. Reed said the changes would help protect electoral integrity while making voting more accessible.
