Dear John,

Thanks to you, we’re ready for the next stage

Despite the Elections Bill passing its second reading in the House of Commons by 327 votes to 228, this is just the start of the Bill’s progress through Parliament. There will be plenty of opportunities to make amendments to the Bill at committee stage and then in the Lords. Our work continues!

Yesterday saw spirited debate in the Commons on the Bill, with concerns and objections raised by all parties - including Conservatives. The fight is far from over - and the potential for positive amendments to this Bill is significant. MPs will now go through the Bill line by line in Committee Stage and we will keep highlighting the areas of the Bill that need to change.

I’d urge you to be proud of what your support has achieved.

With thousands of emails sent to MPs and dozens of letters to local papers, you have helped us to push this issue to the top of the political agenda, and there’s now widespread awareness of how this Bill will infringe civil liberties. The Guardian editorial yesterday opposed the Bill and more and more people are waking up to its dangers.

Your support allowed us to coordinate an open letter raising concerns about the Elections Bill signed by civil society organisations, including Liberty, HOPE not hate and Save the Children.

We have achieved widespread press coverage on this issue, and the media furore we have created is an encouraging sign that this debate will not just die down. We will keep striving because of you and your support - we hope you will continue to strive with us.

To show your support for our cause, please sign our petition for better democracy - we can, and we must show the Government that we will not take attacks on our rights lying down.

Cary Mitchell,

Director of Operations, Best for Britain