Dear John

Parliament is back from recess

MPs are considering the next stage of the anti-democratic Elections Bill 

From clamping down on the right to protest through the Policing Bill to weakening the judiciary’s powers with the Judicial Review and Courts Bill, the government is threatening to undermine our democratic freedoms. 

The Elections Bill is currently in ‘Committee Stage’, where a small group of cross-party MPs goes through the new law line-by-line and makes amendments. This is an important point in the parliamentary process when we can encourage MPs to make necessary changes before the full House of Commons votes on the Bill again.

The Elections Bill committee will meet on Tuesday and Thursday next week to discuss amendments to the bill. Join us, and thousands of Best for Britain supporters around the country, to raise awareness of the key changes they need to make. 

This is truly an urgent matter. An election could be called sooner than we think. We need to make sure that our elections are unbiased and that the Government of the day is held to account. 

By raising awareness and using your voice, you will actively be contributing towards the defence of our democracy - and that is a truly important thing to do.

So use your voice today. And find out more about the Elections Bill and the changes we are asking MPs to make below.

Best wishes,

Naomi Smith

CEO - Best for Britain

Find out more: What is the Elections Bill?

The Elections Bill is a new law proposed by the UK Government which they say is intended to reform our electoral system. Make no mistake, our elections system is in need of reform. But the Government’s bill turns the potential for reform into a huge wasted opportunity. 

Instead of reforming the system to bring it up to date, the Government is rigging it in their favour, and in doing so seeks to prevent itself from being held to account. 

Whether you like this Government or not, it has been elected by the people of Britain and as such has taken on a role of responsibility. It is the Government's duty to protect our rights and freedoms. It is the custodian of our democracy and of our society at large. 

But no custodian should operate without scrutiny. With the Elections Bill, the Government seeks to avoid the scrutiny that it should embrace as part of a mature democracy. 

The bill does this in several ways:

• It proposes to remove the independence of the Electoral Commission, the body that regulates elections. By making the Commission subject to the direction of theGovernment of the day, the bill will weaken the possibility for any Government (or party of government), present or future, to be properly monitored and scrutinised. This is a similar tactic to undemocratic manoeuvering by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party - a party which is currently in violation of several EU rulings. 

• It proposes to allow the Government of the day to ban categories of political campaigner at election time. This would allow the Government to effectively silence voices that challenge it.

• The bill will discourage democratic participation by increasing the administrative burden on smaller charities and civil society organisations. This will close off many voices from democratic participation. 

• The bill will hamper cross-party cooperation and electoral pacts by removing provisions which allow parties to support each others’ candidates in a legal and transparent manner. This will prevent opposition parties from working together for the common good when public interest requires. 

• The bill would make it a requirement for voters to show photo ID at polling stations in order to cast their votes. Placing a barrier between eligible voters and their democratic right to vote, a barrier that will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our society. 

• The Government is also proposing to introduce the First Past the Post system for local and mayoral elections, replacing the fairer proportional systems they currently have. This would represent a step back in time and a failure to give people the representation they deserve. 

We want to make sure MPs know the British public cares about this issue. We want them to know we value our democracy and our vibrant and broad public debate.. This is a matter of huge public interest and will shape our democracy for years to come. 

Will you write or send a social media message to your MP? Getting the message out there about amendments and changes that can alleviate the harms presented by this bill is crucial. Only you can help us to show MPs that public strength of feeling aligns with the preservation of democracy - and that the public wants to see their MPs act in the best way possible for this country.