Dear John

Civil society is under threat. And it’s not just us who think this. 

Last week, Conservative MP David Davis wrote an article in The Guardian about the Government’s proposed reforms to judicial review. He noted that these reforms will threaten our democracy and prevent the Government from being accountable to the law as it ought to be. 

We felt that his words really resonated with our broader Better Democracy campaign. We thought we’d have a look and see how this government is pressing forward with change that seems to be contrary to traditional conservative values.

We have been campaigning tirelessly about a set of bills that we fear will hurt our democracy irreparably should they become law. From the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill which will allow the Home Secretary to criminalise protest as they see fit to the Elections Bill, which will allow Government ministers to ban certain groups of people from campaigning at election time. 

Combined with proposed reforms to judicial review, these bills clearly represent an attempt by the Government to avoid accountability. While the bills may hide these attempts in legislative newspeak, there’s a lot to be concerned about in the finer detail. 

Read our article exploring the Government’s attempts to stifle democracy - and find our what you can do to make a difference by clicking the link above.

Best wishes,

Naomi Smith

CEO - Best for Britain