Dear John,

Parliament may be in recess but that doesn’t mean our work has stopped.

In fact, we’re busier than ever with our work to challenge the undemocratic Elections Bill.

What is it? And what happens next?

The Elections Bill will have its second reading in the House Of Commons on 7th September. The bill proposes a raft of dangerous measures that will make it harder for civil society to hold power to account.

The Bill contains things that we don't disagree with - and even some we support! - like votes for British citizens living overseas, new rules to make sure online election campaigns display information so voters know who they are and clearer rules and penalties for those who might seek to pressure voters or harass candidates and campaigners. However, from mandating voter ID to making it harder for parties to form electoral pacts, the bill contains many parts that lean dangerously close to democratic suppression - and which set a precedent for things to come. 

One of the most troubling aspects of the bill is that it would give Ministers new powers to decide who can and can’t campaign during elections. This means that the Government of the day would be able to suppress voices which challenge it or hold it to account. When you combine this with the recently passed Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will allow the Home Secretary to determine the conditions of acceptable protest, it is clear to see that this Government is attempting an insidious power grab.  

In short, this is not something that we can take lying down, for all our sakes.

Over the next few weeks, we will be working with our partners and friends across politics and civil society to challenge this. We will be focusing our efforts on coordinating an emphatic response to this bill and on making sure that we fight for all our rights as loudly and effectively as possible.

But of course, we can’t do this alone. We need your support too, as democracy only thrives when everyone is able to use their voices. Over the next few weeks, we will be in touch with ways you can get involved and take a stand against the erosion of our democracy. We’ll provide you with letters you can send to your MP and your local paper, and update you on how you can get involved with in-person events to challenge the bill.

For now, we’d love it if you could show your support by signing our petition to show your support for a better democracy.

That’s all from us for now, but we’ll be in touch again soon.

Best wishes, 

Cary Mitchell,

Director of Operations, Best for Britain