The Representation of the People Bill is a 7-part, 11-schedule Government bill introduced 12 February 2026 by Steve Reed (Secretary of State, MHCLG) which lowers the voting age to 16 across UK Parliamentary, English and Northern Ireland local, PCC and recall elections; reforms voter registration (including powers for direct registration without application and an opt-in open register); expands accepted voter ID to UK bank cards; introduces candidate ID and party-withdrawal of nominations; tightens donation rules with risk-based due diligence and restrictions on company and unincorporated-association donations; transfers significant enforcement powers to the Electoral Commission; and extends disqualification orders for hostility-motivated offences against electoral staff.
The Bill is the principal legislative vehicle delivering Labour's manifesto commitment to lower the voting age and the Government's July 2025 'Restoring trust in our democracy' strategy. It rewrites the foundations of voter eligibility, electoral registration and political finance simultaneously, with downstream effects for an estimated 7-8 million unregistered or incorrectly registered electors, all political parties' donor-screening obligations, and the Electoral Commission's regulatory architecture.
First reading 12 February 2026; second reading 2 March 2026; Public Bill Committee sat across nine sittings between 18 March and 16 April 2026; the Bill emerged from Committee as Bill 418 (as amended in Committee) on 27 April 2026, with notices of amendments for Report stage being tabled through late April 2026.
The post-Committee print of the Bill: 83 clauses across 7 Parts and 11 Schedules. The operative legal text for Report stage.
The Bill at introduction. Baseline against which Committee amendments are read.
MHCLG's clause-by-clause explanation of each Part: votes at 16, registration reform, conduct of elections, campaigns and finance, EC enforcement, hostility and disqualification.
The policy white paper that this Bill enacts. Sets out votes at 16, registration modernisation, voter ID expansion, political finance reform and Electoral Commission enforcement reform as a single programme.
Per-Part Government policy notes published alongside introduction (e.g. Votes at 16, registration, voter ID, candidate ID, political finance, EC enforcement, hostility).
King's Speech confirms the Bill in the Government's programme; the Background Briefing Notes provide the political framing.
Background briefing pack from No. 10 with the Bill's section setting out objectives and timetable.
Welsh SI adjacent to the Bill: candidate security expenses excluded from election expenses for devolved Welsh elections, mirroring policy aims behind clause 54 (removal of requirement to publish election agents' addresses).
Section 19(1)(a) compatibility statement signed by Steve Reed. Treats A3P1 engagement on prisoner voting (extended to 16-17 year olds in custody), and A3P1 'passive' right to stand on disqualification orders, as proportionate under Hirst v UK and Hora v UK.
MHCLG's justification of the Bill's regulation-making powers, including the pilot powers for registration changes (clauses 20-25) and the NI canvass-modification powers (clauses 26-29).
The Library's bill briefing for second reading: clause-by-clause walkthrough plus party positions.
Background to clause 60 (donations by companies and LLPs) and the foreign-money concerns it addresses.
Background to clause 58 / Schedule 8 risk-assessment duties on parties and regulated donees.
Background to Rycroft Review's crypto-donations moratorium recommendation; engages clauses 58-61.
Background to clauses 64-65 (electronic material promoted by third parties; EC guidance on digital imprints).
FAC conclusion that the Bill should include provisions tackling AI-generated content, disinformation and electoral interference.
Companion FAC conclusion welcoming the Bill but flagging continuing legislative gaps against foreign interference.
Reasoned amendment in the name of the official Opposition selected by the Speaker; debate covered franchise extension, voter ID, registration and political finance.
Exchange between Rushanara Ali MP and Doug Chalmers (CSPL Chair) shaping how CSPL's election-finance work feeds into the Bill.
Best-estimate net present social cost £107.2m over 10 years: Votes at 16 £88.0m; EC and Enforcement £13.3m; Improving Registration £5.2m. No monetised benefits; non-monetised benefits include lifelong voter engagement and reducing the 7-8 million registration gap.
Year-2 evaluation findings on voter ID at the July 2024 UKPGE — informs clause 47 (adding UK bank cards to accepted ID).
Government response that shaped many of the Bill's clauses (registration, voter ID, NI canvass).
Independent review whose recommendations (including a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations) sit alongside the Bill's Pt 4 donations measures and will shape Report-stage amendments.
Devolved-elections analogue to the Bill's measures on election agents' addresses (clause 54) and candidate security.
Sets the evidentiary baseline for the Bill's voter ID and registration measures.
Why linked: Confirms the Bill among the Government's legislative programme for the 2026 session as a vehicle for franchise extension and electoral-integrity reform.
I am delighted to announce the publication of the government's new strategy for modern and secure elections. This marks a significant step…
Why linked: Rushanara Ali MP's July 2025 WMS (HCWS842) sets out the policy programme that the Bill enacts.
Why linked: Lord Khan of Burnley's parallel Lords WMS (HLWS843) committed the Government to delivering the strategy through legislation in this Parliament.
A Bill to make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, re
A Bill to make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, re
Why linked: King's Speech 2026 Background Briefing Notes explicitly listing the Representation of the People Bill as a legislative programme item
The full PDF of the King's Speech 2026 background briefing notes from the Prime Minister's Office, containing dedicated section on the Railways and Passenger Benefits Bill (p.75) setting out the rationale for establishing Great British Railways.
Why linked: The King's Speech 2026 and official briefing notes announce the Representation of the People Bill as part of the government's legislative programme.
The King's Speech 2026 elections bill covering changes to voting and electoral administration intended to strengthen democratic participation and integrity.
A Bill to make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, re
Why linked: Matched expansion phrase: Representation of the People Act 1983
Why linked: MHCLG's published policy summaries for the Bill — directly operationalising and essential reading.
These policy summaries provide more information about the Representation of the People Bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons on 12 February 2026.
Why linked: Filled the "Government consultation responses on lowering the voting age or electoral reform" gap via web research
In response to: Representation of the People Bill: Policy summaries
Second Reading Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes): The reasoned amendment in the name of the official Opposition has been selected. 17:51:00 The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed): I beg to move, That the Bill …
A Bill to make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, re
A Bill to make provision extending the right to vote to 16 and 17 year olds; to make provision about the registration of voters; to make provision about the administration and conduct of elections, re
Why linked: Welsh Government consultation on the parallel 1983 Act security expenses Order — adjacent context on candidate-protection statutory machinery.
We want your views on the draft Local Elections (Wales) (Amendment) Rules 2026 and the draft Representation of the People Act 1983 (Security Expenses Exclusion) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026.
Why linked: Correspondence on government electoral reform strategy between Minister and CSPL (Aug 2025); ministerial strategy document on electoral reform
Correspondence between Rushanara Ali MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Homelessness and Democracy, and Doug Chalmers, Chair, CSPL, on the government's electoral reform strategy.
Why linked: Policy paper 'Restoring trust in our democracy' (July 2025)—government strategy document on elections and registration implementation, contemporaneous with bill lifecycle
Details of the plans for delivering the government’s commitments on elections and registration.
Why linked: Filled the "Government consultation responses on lowering the voting age or electoral reform" gap via web research
In response to: Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections
Why linked: CSPL Annual Report 2024-25; may contain relevant material on electoral reform and democratic participation oversight, given CSPL's responsible body role.
The Committee on Standards in Public Life has published its Annual Report for 2024/25.
Why linked: Filled the "Electoral Commission guidance and codes of practice on campaign finance and conduct" gap via web research
In response to: Electoral Commission strategy and policy statement
Why linked: Matched expansion phrase: Elections Act 2022
These Regulations are the eleventh commencement regulations made under the Elections Act 2022 (c. 37) (“the 2022 Act”), and the first commencement regulations made under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55) (“the 2023 Act”).
Why linked: Statutory instrument directly governing electoral register publication under the Representation of the People Act 1983—core electoral administration mechanism in scope
These Regulations set a revised date for the end of the period during which revised versions of certain electoral registers for 2020 must be published in accordance with section 13(1)(a) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2) …
Why linked: Statutory instrument on voter canvass procedures in Northern Ireland under RPA 1983—electoral administration mechanism explicitly in scope, including devolved administration
Under section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (c. 2) the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland (as the electoral registration officer) is required to conduct a canvass in Northern Ireland in such years as are determined …
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The Representation of the People Bill 2024-26 is the Labour Government's flagship electoral-reform statute, introduced 12 February 2026 1 and confirmed in the King's Speech 2026 2. It enacts the July 2025 'Restoring trust in our democracy' strategy 3 by lowering the voting age to 16, modernising voter registration (including a direct-registration framework subject to pilots), expanding accepted voter ID to UK bank cards, tightening political finance through know-your-donor risk assessments and restrictions on company and unincorporated-association donations, transferring substantial enforcement powers to the Electoral Commission, and extending disqualification orders for hostility-motivated offences against electoral staff 45. The Bill emerged from Public Bill Committee as Bill 418 on 27 April 2026 6, with Report stage to follow.
The Bill sits at Commons Report stage following nine PBC sittings between 18 March and 16 April 2026 123. The post-Committee reprint Bill 418 carries 83 clauses across 7 Parts and 11 Schedules 4, expanded slightly from the introduction print Bill 384's 81 clauses 5. MHCLG's accompanying suite — Impact Assessment, Explanatory Notes, ECHR Memorandum and Delegated Powers Memorandum 6789 — set out a £107.2m best-estimate ten-year net present social cost, dominated by Votes at 16 (£88.0m), Electoral Commission and Enforcement (£13.3m) and Improving Registration (£5.2m) 6. The Public Bill Committee took written evidence from a broad coalition including the Electoral Reform Society 10, the Association of Electoral Administrators 11, the Children's Commissioner 1213, Transparency International UK 14, the Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI 15, the Jo Cox Foundation 16, the Local Government Association 17 and the Electoral Management Board for Scotland 18. Parallel to the Bill, the Cabinet Office is running its Digital ID consultation (CP1498) 1920, and PQ traffic shows persistent Opposition probing on candidate-agent expenses 21, voter-ID accreditation and the EC's strategy and policy statement repeal 22.
Three developments materially shape the regime since Report stage opened. First, the Rycroft Review on countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics was published on 27 April 2026 12, recommending (among other things) a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations — squarely within the Bill's Pt 4 territory and tracked by Commons Library briefing CBP-10443 3. Second, the Foreign Affairs Committee concluded in March 2026 that the Bill should be amended to tackle AI-generated content, deepfakes and disinformation, and expressed concern about the UK's legislative ability to withstand election-period threats reported in other countries 45. Third, the Public Bill Committee's nine sittings produced sustained Opposition engagement, particularly by Paul Holmes MP 67 across franchise, voter ID and donations, and Conservative Front Bench engagement on registration and EC enforcement by David Simmonds 6 and Lewis Cocking 8. The King's Speech 2026 9 reconfirmed the Bill's place in the Government's programme.
Five watch-points dominate the next 12 months. First, Government Report-stage amendments: whether the Government accepts the Rycroft Review's crypto-donations moratorium or imports any of its other foreign-money recommendations into Pt 4 1, and whether the FAC's AI/deepfakes recommendations are absorbed 2. The Bill text in 418 3 is the baseline against which to read those amendments. Second, Lords stages: the Bill must clear Second Reading, Committee, Report and Third Reading; expect DPRRC and Constitution Committee scrutiny of the substantial regulation-making powers in Pts 2 and 5, particularly the pilot powers (clauses 20-25) and the NI canvass-modification powers (clauses 26-29) 45. Third, commencement architecture: clause 82 enables staggered commencement, and the order in which Pts 1-6 are switched on will shape readiness for the next round of polls — Pts 4 and 6 are likeliest to come on first because they are self-contained, while Pt 2 direct registration depends on pilots and ERO data-sharing regulations under clause 36 4. Fourth, the EC enforcement transition: clauses 65-71 decriminalise administrative offences in PPERA, lift the civil-penalty cap and expand EC information-sharing — practitioners advising parties should expect a step-change in EC enforcement intensity once Pt 5 commences. Fifth, the LCM question for Wales and Scotland flagged in PQ 118891 6, which the Government has not yet resolved publicly.
The Bill's chief uncertainties cluster around interaction with parallel work. The Cabinet Office's Digital ID consultation (CP1498) 123 runs in parallel and may reshape voter-ID design after Royal Assent; PQs in March-April 2026 show the Government has not yet committed on whether digital ID will be available to 16-17 year olds 345. Inferred from corpus gap: the Government has not yet published a formal response to the Rycroft Review, so the relationship between the Review's recommendations and the Bill's Pt 4 architecture remains for now informal. The deliverability of direct registration depends on data-sharing regulations under clause 36 that are not yet drafted, a concern raised by the AEA's evidence 6 and the LGA 7. Finally, the FAC's AI/deepfakes recommendation 8 would meaningfully extend the Bill's scope but the Government has not yet indicated whether it will accept it.
This briefing covers the Bill as a single legislative vehicle and the policy programme it enacts. Devolved electoral law in Scotland (SE(RVA)A 2015) and Wales (SE(W)A 2020) is referenced only where the Bill interacts with reserved elections or requires LCMs — comprehensive coverage of devolved-elections rule changes is out of scope. Boundary Commission redistricting and Westminster constituency review processes are separate statutory tracks and are not covered.
Bills and Acts this regime substantively depends on. Links go to the bill's own thread on this site (where available) and to bills.parliament.uk.
The instant Bill — amends RPA 1983, RPA 1985, PPERA 2000, Elections Act 2022, Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989 and the Recall of MPs Act 2015.
Principal statute being amended across Pts 1-3 (franchise, registration, conduct of elections).
Principal statute being amended across Pts 4-5 (donations regime and EC enforcement).
Established voter ID and disqualification orders; expanded by clause 47 (voter ID) and Pt 6 (disqualification) and partially repealed by clause 70 (EC strategy and policy statement).
Modifies the application of RPA 1983 in NI; Schedule 1 to that Act is amended throughout the Bill to align NI provisions.
The Bill stacks four legally distinct reforms on top of the Representation of the People Act 1983 / 1985, PPERA 2000 and Elections Act 2022 architecture, and operates by amendment rather than free-standing replacement. Part 1 rewrites who is on the franchise and how they get on the register; Parts 2-3 rewrite how the register is built and how elections are run; Part 4 rewrites how money enters elections; Parts 5-6 rewrite who enforces the rules and what the consequences of breach look like.
The franchise change is the doctrinal centrepiece: clause 1 changes the qualifying age in RPA 1983 s.1(1)(d) and s.2(1)(d), and the chain of consequential changes in the Elected Authorities (Northern Ireland) Act 1989, the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and the Recall of MPs Act 2015 is necessary to keep the franchise consistent across reserved polls. The new prisoner-voting bar in clause 2 is the price of consistency: extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds would otherwise pull detained young people into the electorate, and the ECHR Memorandum treats Hirst v UK (2005) and Hora v UK (2025) as authority that a properly individualised disenfranchisement regime is A3P1-compatible. Sitting underneath the franchise change is the attainer architecture — clause 3 drops the registration-eligible age to 14, and clauses 7-14 then build a parallel data-protection regime for under-16s because RPA 1983's public-register architecture was not designed for that cohort.
Part 2 introduces the most consequential operational change: direct registration. Clauses 17-19 authorise EROs to register people without an application; clauses 20-25 require pilots first, with an Electoral Commission report under clause 24 before any national roll-out. This is regulation-by-pilot, and it is necessarily so — the Delegated Powers Memorandum explains that the regulations are subject to parliamentary procedure under clause 23. Northern Ireland gets its own canvass-modification track in clauses 26-29 because the Chief Electoral Officer there operates a 10-year re-canvass cycle that the EC and the CEONI both treat as broken. Clause 47's expansion of accepted voter ID to bank cards responds directly to the IFF Year 2 evaluation and the EC's report on voter ID at the 2024 UKPGE: 0.25% of polling-station voters were turned away for lack of ID, of whom around 16,000 did not return.
Part 4's political-finance changes operate on PPERA 2000 rather than RPA 1983. Clause 58 and Schedule 8 impose a risk-assessment duty on parties and regulated donees above a threshold (the 'know-your-donor' duty discussed in CBP-10459). Clause 60 tightens company donations (responsive to the foreign-money concerns in CBP-10599). Clause 62 and Schedule 9 lower the reporting threshold for unincorporated-association political contributions and gifts. Clause 59 bars under-16s from being permissible donors, which is the necessary corollary of extending the franchise downward without extending donor permission. The Rycroft Review (27 April 2026) recommends a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations, which would sit naturally in this Part if accepted at Report.
Parts 5-6 redesign the enforcement layer. Clauses 65-69 decriminalise PPERA's administrative offences and migrate them to civil sanctions enforced solely by the EC, lift the existing cap on EC civil penalties tied to summary-trial maxima, and give the EC explicit information-sharing powers with named regulators and enforcement bodies. Clause 70 deletes the Elections Act 2022 strategy-and-policy-statement mechanism (and the related Speaker's Committee endorsement role), restoring the pre-2022 settlement of EC independence. Pt 6 then operates on Elections Act 2022 Part 5 and Schedule 9 to widen disqualification orders to cover hostility against electoral staff and to cross-apply Scottish disqualification orders UK-wide.
A person aged 14 or over but under voting age who is entitled to be registered in the parliamentary or local-government register and whose entry must record their attainment date; they are not treated as electors until that date.
A power for EROs to add an eligible citizen to the electoral register or alter their entry without that citizen first applying, subject to notification and a right to opt out.
A qualification under new RPA 1983 s.14(1ZA) entitling a person under the relevant age (19/18 depending on register) to register at a particular address by reference to a parent or guardian's existing service qualification.
An expanded declaration route under new RPA 1983 s.7BA enabling looked-after children, care leavers and young people in secure accommodation to register at an address to which they have a previous connection.
A statutory duty on registered parties and other regulated donees under clause 58 / Schedule 8 to undertake a risk assessment before accepting donations above a prescribed threshold.
An order under Elections Act 2022 Part 5 / Schedule 9 that disqualifies a person from holding or seeking certain elective offices following conviction of a listed violent or intimidatory offence, where motivated by hostility towards electoral participants — now extended by clause 72 to cover hostility against electoral officers and their staff.
Commons Report stage and Third Reading — amendments to be tabled by the Government in response to the Rycroft Review and the FAC's AI/disinformation recommendations.
Lords stages — Second Reading, Committee, Report and Third Reading; DPRRC and Constitution Committee reports to follow.
Government response to the Rycroft Review's recommendations including the cryptocurrency-donations moratorium — likely either by Government amendment at Report or by separate response document.
Commencement regulations under clause 82 — staggered commencement expected across Pts 1-6; first SIs likely to commence Pt 6 (hostility/disqualification) and parts of Pt 4 (donations).
Pilot regulations under clauses 20-25 for direct registration; EC pilot evaluation under clause 24 follows.
Regulations under clauses 26-29 modifying the Northern Ireland canvass; EC report under clauses 27 and 29 follows.
First polls under expanded voter ID (clause 47 bank-card recognition) — EC monitoring of acceptance rates.
As sponsoring Secretary of State, has certified the Bill compatible with the Convention rights under s.19(1)(a) HRA and is driving the Bill through Commons stages as the principal vehicle for the Labour Government's electoral-reform commitments.Feb 2026Feb 2026
Tension with Paul Holmes, Foreign Affairs Committee
As Minister for Homelessness and Democracy, launched the July 2025 strategy 'Restoring trust in our democracy' that this Bill enacts, and corresponded with the Chair of CSPL on the Government's electoral reform programme.Jul 2025Aug 2025
Made the parallel Lords WMS (HLWS843) in July 2025 launching the strategy; will lead Lords-side engagement on the Bill if his portfolio remains.Jul 2025
PUS at MHCLG carrying the Bill through all nine Public Bill Committee sittings; responded clause-by-clause to Opposition and minor-party amendments across Parts 1-6.Apr 2026Apr 2026Apr 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026
Tension with Paul Holmes, David Simmonds
Leading Conservative voice across all nine PBC sittings; the Opposition tabled a reasoned amendment at second reading and has tabled amendments throughout Committee particularly on franchise extension, voter ID changes and political-finance provisions.Apr 2026Apr 2026Mar 2026
Tension with Samantha Dixon, Steve Reed
Conservative engagement across PBC on registration architecture and the Electoral Commission's expanded enforcement remit under Pt 5.Apr 2026Apr 2026
Tension with Samantha Dixon
Conservative scrutiny across PBC sittings 3-9, with particular engagement on Part 4 donations and Part 6 disqualification orders.Apr 2026Mar 2026
Green Party engagement supporting franchise extension and pushing further on registration completeness and donations transparency across all PBC sittings.Apr 2026Apr 2026
Liberal Democrat front-bench engagement across all PBC sittings on overseas-elector access, registration modernisation and proportional safeguards in Pt 4.Apr 2026Apr 2026
Liberal Democrat engagement on registration, voter ID and donations across PBC sittings 4, 8 and 9.Apr 2026Mar 2026
On AI-generated content, disinformation and foreign electoral interference: concluded that the Bill should be amended to tackle AI-generated content and the creation and dissemination of disinformation; concerned about the UK's legislative ability to withstand the kinds of threats reported during elections in other countries.Mar 2026Mar 2026
Tension with Steve Reed
On regulating election finance: engaged with MHCLG on the Government's electoral reform strategy and welcomed publication of the strategy in July 2025, having long pressed for stronger party donations regulation.Feb 2025Aug 2025
On EC enforcement architecture: gains substantially expanded enforcement powers across Pts 4-5 (sole responsibility for administrative-nature offences, civil sanctions, extended enforcement remit over candidate and recall offences, abolition of the penalty cap, new information-sharing powers); loses the Elections Act 2022 strategy-and-policy-statement constraint under clause 70.Feb 2026Feb 2026
On NI canvass reform: explanatory notes record that the CEONI and the EC 'deem the current canvass system unfit for purpose'; the Bill provides powers (clauses 26-29) to modernise the NI canvass and bring it into closer alignment with GB.Feb 2026
Submitted written evidence (RPB12) to PBC; long-standing public advocate for lowering the voting age and registration modernisation, broadly supportive of the Bill's core franchise and registration reforms.Mar 2026
On deliverability: written and supplementary evidence (RPB40) raising practitioner concerns about the operational readiness of direct registration, pre-election application deadlines and ERO data access.Mar 2026
On under-16 attainers: two written submissions (RPB34, RPB50) focused on data-protection safeguards in clauses 7-14 and on safeguarding of looked-after children registering under clause 4.Mar 2026Apr 2026
On Part 4 donations: supplementary written evidence (RPB31) supporting tighter donor due diligence and pushing for stronger company- and UA-donation rules.Mar 2026
On Part 5 enforcement: written evidence (RPB17) supportive of expanded EC enforcement, and engaged on the design of civil sanctions and information-sharing powers.Mar 2026
On foreign-money risk: written evidence (RPB15) on the design of donations safeguards, sitting alongside the Rycroft Review's recommendations.Mar 2026
On Pt 6 hostility and disqualification: written evidence (RPB06) supporting the extension of disqualification orders and aggravating factors to protect candidates, campaigners and electoral staff.Mar 2026
On accessibility: written evidence (RPB24) raising accessibility implications of the voter-ID changes and absent-voting provisions.Mar 2026
On local-authority deliverability: supplementary evidence (RPB42) on the resource implications for EROs and ROs of direct registration, ERO seniority requirements (clause 31) and the new local-authority duty to raise awareness (clause 15).Mar 2026
On Scottish interaction: written and supplementary evidence (RPB26, RPB36) on cross-border canvass alignment and the interaction of the Bill with devolved Scottish elections.Mar 2026Mar 2026
Two submissions (RPB10, RPB52) advocating for broader democratic-participation measures and engaged on the overseas-electors framework.Mar 2026Apr 2026
Supplementary written evidence (RPB47) on the Bill's treatment of overseas electors and registration of British citizens abroad.Apr 2026
Written evidence (RPB20) supportive of franchise extension and registration modernisation.Mar 2026
On digital imprints and disinformation: written evidence (RPB18) on clauses 64-65 (electronic material promoted by third parties) and the wider information-environment implications.Mar 2026
On registration accuracy: written evidence (RPB28) addressing why renters and frequent movers are under-registered and what the direct-registration provisions should do for them.Mar 2026
Joint evidence (RPB14) on candidate intimidation, particularly against women candidates, and supportive of Pt 6 disqualification and hostility provisions.Mar 2026
On candidate safety: two submissions (RPB04, RPB25) on the removal of the requirement to publish election agents' addresses (clause 54) and Pt 6 disqualification orders.Mar 2026Mar 2026
Working committee that took oral and written evidence and produced amendments resulting in the Bill 418 reprint; chaired in rotation by Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Dame Siobhain McDonagh, David Mundell and Sir Desmond Swayne.Mar 2026Apr 2026
Inquiry running alongside the Bill examining the Government's manifesto commitment to lower the voting age and the wider modernisation programme.Mar 2026
On NI electoral ID cards: under clause 35 will issue new cards showing only month and year of birth, intended to limit misuse of the EONI card as a general-purpose identity document in third-party transactions.Feb 2026Mar 2026
Labour government-side scrutiny across PBC sittings 3-5, supporting the Bill while engaging on registration completeness and the impact of franchise extension.Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026
Labour engagement across PBC sittings 6-8 on Pt 4 donations and Pt 5 EC enforcement clauses.Apr 2026Apr 2026
Labour engagement across PBC including on NI canvass and devolved-elections interaction.Apr 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026
Labour engagement across early PBC sittings (1, 3 and 5) on the Bill's overall architecture and franchise extension.Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026
Routes parliamentary questions on EC readiness for the May 2026 polls and the design of EC powers under the Bill; the Member for Kenilworth and Southam is the Government's spokesperson on the Commission in the Commons.Mar 2026Mar 2026Mar 2026
Authored the policy summaries, Impact Assessment, Explanatory Notes, ECHR Memorandum and Delegated Powers Memorandum, and is the sponsoring department driving Commons stages.Mar 2026Feb 2026Feb 2026Feb 2026Feb 2026