Together, We're Building Momentum for Fair Elections

Dear John,

On Wednesday, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections met in the House of Commons to reflect on the amazing progress made to date and to plan how we build further momentum in the coming months – it was an inspirational session. The Group, now one of the largest in Parliament, brought together MPs and Peers dedicated to delivering a fairer electoral system.

The Group discussed how to use two upcoming critical debates in Parliament - one on Proportional Representation secured by our APPG, and another on Money in Politics secured by our friends in the APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax - to push our campaign forward.

Open Britain and Fair Vote UK, and our friends in other democracy organisations, have been busy this week preparing briefing for MPs, activating supporters and briefing the media on the issues. We’re seeing more and more interest being shown in our campaign by Parliamentarians, the media and ordinary members of the public. People are finally waking up to the need to fix our broken democracy.

Here’s a brief update on what we’ve been working on, and what’s coming down the pipeline.

Fighting for Proportional Representation:

Last month, the House of Commons voted to back Proportional Representation for the first time in history when it passed Lib Dem MP, Sarah Olney’s Ten Minute Rule Bill. Unfortunately, conventions in the House of Commons mean that Bill is unlikely to be allocated the further parliamentary time necessary to progress.

It’s great news, then, that the Backbench Business Committee has agreed to our APPG’s request for a full debate in the Commons Chamber on the adoption of PR for general elections.

The debate follows an application made by officers of the APPG for Fair Elections: Alex Sobel MP, Lisa Smart MP, and Ellie Chowns MP – supported by a very substantial number of MPs from across the House.

On Tuesday the 14th of January, a session of the Backbench Business Committee heard evidence from the officers and, in Lisa Smart’s absence, Sarah Olney MP about why time in the Chamber should be given to this issue. Following the hearing, the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, Bob Blackman MP, confirmed that there will be a full debate on Proportional Representation for general elections in the Commons Chamber on Thursday 30 January.

Our position – that Starmer must create a National Commission on Electoral Reform, to report in time for its recommendations to be adopted before the next election – is also gaining traction in the media. Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee argued this week that to sincerely put “country before party,” Starmer must address the nation’s democratic deficit by creating a national commission.

“It is time to look across the Channel, look across the Atlantic, and shore up Britain’s democratic defences.”

It’s time to talk about how our voting system is failing us—and how it’s eroding trust in politics. APPG members are pushing for change, starting with a National Commission on Electoral Reform to find a fairer alternative to First Past the Post.

Make your voice heard! Use the ‘Write to Your MP’ tool below to ask them to join this vital debate.

Eliminating Dark Money and Undue Influence:

As with PR, increasing attention has been brought to both the UK’s broken campaign finance system and our ineffective protections against harmful political disinformation. In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory, the focus has been on protecting our democracy from foreign interference.

This week, Keir Starmer announced the creation of a ‘foreign influence registration scheme’ (FIRS), designed to increase the transparency over those ‘directed by a foreign power’ to carry out political influencing operations – including lobbying. It’s a welcome move, but it’s certainly not enough given the scale of the problem.

The Government has also hinted at plans to strengthen rules around political party donations, with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government reportedly developing proposals. We await further information with eager anticipation.

Our position, and that of the APPG, is that the problem of dark money goes much deeper than Elon Musk or foreign interference (while that’s obviously significant). The Backbench Business Committee is expected to debate Money in Politics more broadly next month.

Labour MP Joe Powell, Chair of the APPG on Anti-Corruption (and a member of the APPG for Fair Elections), brought up the fact that many Government scandals have revolved around dark money. “We have to make the case that this is a long-standing issue that needs to be addressed. It shouldn’t just be about Musk and Reform, it is something that there should be cross-party support for to protect our democracy,” says Powell.

Peter Geoghegan has a brilliant overview of the dark money debacle, and highlights the fact that Starmer has far more to gain than lose by acting on it swiftly.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this Money in Politics debate next month, and APPG members will be ready to make the case for closing up the loopholes in our campaign finance system, as recommended in our APPG report Free But Not Fair.

Countering Disinformation:

Finally, the APPG has recommended that the government take more action to combat harmful political disinformation online. The previous Government’s Online Safety Act (OSA) largely left it to tech giants (controlled by oligarchs like Musk and Zuckerberg) to regulate themselves, and failed to acknowledge that “legal but harmful” content – ie, disinformation – even exists.

As the APPG for Fair Elections noted in its Free But Not Fair report: “By omitting ‘legal but harmful’ content, the OSA misses a significant category of damaging information, leaving the UK unprepared for major disinformation incidents. Examples of such incidents include the wave of false information that fuelled riots across the UK in summer 2024, the election conspiracy theories that led to the January 6 insurrection in the US, and the COVID-19 disinformation that jeopardised public health during the pandemic.”

On January 15th, the Government announced an official inquiry into Disinformation and Diplomacy, which is welcome, but ideally we’d like to see one on Disinformation and Democracy. 

Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that: 

“Disinformation campaigns sow the seeds of discontent; they have been weaponised to subvert free and fair elections, to undermine the rules-based international order and to propagate anti-Western narratives. Foreign malign actors have realised the power of the media and social media in supporting their aims and interests.”

“These threats aren’t just coming from hostile states, but also non-state actors. Powerful figures such as Elon Musk exploit their platform to spread disinformation that disrupts and destabilises.”

With our friends at West Country Voices and The Movement Forward, Open Britain hosted a Zoom webinar this week with Renee DiResta - author of Invisible Rulers and one of the world's leading experts on disinformation.

It’s clear that, as with PR and Dark Money, there is a lot of enthusiasm around finally holding tech giants accountable for the damage they are doing to our social cohesion. Our APPG members will continue to make their case, and get the Government to look at the damaging role these platforms play in undermining faith in democracy.

We Rely On Your Support

So, as you can see, it has been a busy start to 2025 for us. Many people we speak to have little hope for the future of our democracy. They see the walls of authoritarianism closing in and they think there is nothing we can do to fight back. We’re proving every day that we CAN make a difference. We know it won’t be easy but we also know we only lose when we stop fighting - so we will NEVER stop fighting!

Our progress inside Parliament has been impressive - but we can't stop there. For real change to happen, we need to ensure our movement becomes an irresistible public demand for that change. That’s why we are now focused on building our public support, working hand-in-hand with key stakeholders in civil society and the media. Together, we’re making the case for a democracy that truly represents everyone.

This is where YOU come in. Building momentum for fair elections takes resources, and we need your support to:

• Raise public awareness through campaigns and media outreach.

• Organise events and collaborations with other organisations fighting for fair democracy.

• Keep Proportional Representation, Dark Money, and Disinformation at the top of the political agenda.

You can help out by following us on BlueSky, following the APPG for Fair Elections, and amplifying us wherever you can.

If you’re able, we appreciate whatever you can contribute to keep this campaign in fighting shape. There are many more battles ahead.

All the very best,

The Open Britain Team