Contribution
My Lords, first, I welcome the Government’s decision to extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds. Young people already contribute to our society and have a direct stake in the future, shaped by political decisions made today. Expanding the franchise strengthens our democracy by ensuring that more people have a voice.
Through the Learn with the Lords programme, I regularly visit schools and am consistently impressed by the level of engagement that I encounter. One of my favourite visits was to a primary school, where we discussed how Parliament works and how people can influence political decision-making. Afterwards, around 150 pupils wrote to the then Prime Minister about the winter fuel allowance. It started with one pupil asking me what it was and what had happened. The pupils listened, formed their own views about the issue and wanted their voices heard. The problem is often not a lack of interest from young people but a lack of opportunities for them to participate, and a lack of them being asked questions at all.
I also agree with the Minister’s opening remarks that we must put politics back in public control and respond to real changes in how people participate in politics. My remarks focus on three themes: modernising our democracy, ensuring the safety of candidates and strengthening transparency. First, on modernising democracy, having worked in the European Parliament, the Senedd and Westminster, I have often been struck by how many of our political structures remain rooted in assumptions about who can participate in public life. Job sharing and caring responsibilities are now a normal part of life for many people, yet our democratic institutions have been slower to adapt. Have the Government considered the merits that job-sharing arrangements could bring to elected office and the diversity of people able to serve?
At the same time, although this is the Representation of the People Bill, it does not address one of the most significant questions of representation itself: our electoral system. We live in an increasingly multiparty political environment, where vote share and seat share can diverge significantly. First past the post is increasingly difficult to justify if our objective is genuine representation. Do the Government have any plans to review the electoral system?
My second theme is safety of candidates. I welcome efforts to make democratic participation safer. In particular, I support the cross-party proposal put forward in the other place relating to domestic abuse offenders. Public office is a privilege, and the public rightly expects high standards from those who seek it. I am also persuaded by the case for removing the requirement for candidates and election agents to publish their full residential address.
However, one notable omission remains, as we have heard from a number of Members: online abuse. Social media platforms have become a significant enabler of intimidation and harassment of candidates, campaigners and elected representatives, with women disproportionately affected. If people decide not to stand for public office because of the abuse they expect to receive online, democracy itself is diminished. Can the Minister explain why no provisions have been included in the Bill to address online abuse and whether the Government will consider requiring Ofcom to produce an election-specific code of practice, as we have heard from a range of Members today?
My final theme is transparency. Public trust is the foundation of any healthy democracy. If people are to have confidence in our political system, they must be confident that influence cannot be bought, that elections are conducted fairly and that democratic institutions are protected from improper influence. As a Welsh Member of your Lordships’ House, I listened carefully to the Minister’s reference to Nathan Gill. His convictions serve as a reminder that foreign interference in democratic processes is not an abstract concern. That is why transparency around political donations remains so important. The Government have announced a task and finish group to examine potential reforms, but there remains little clarity about its remit, membership or timetable. Can the Minister tell the House how this work will proceed and when Parliament can expect to see its conclusions?
There is much in this Bill to welcome, particularly its efforts to broaden participation and strengthen public confidence in our democratic system. However, important questions remain about representation, candidate safety and transparency in our democracy. If we are serious about renewing public trust in politics, we must be prepared to address those issues. I look forward to the Minister’s response and to working constructively with colleagues across the House to strengthen the Bill in the next stage.