This report traces developments in the quality of democracy in the United
Kingdom between 2019-2023. It reveals that the UK has seen a marked
decline in the quality of democracy when measured against five key
components of democracy:
▶ The integrity of elections and freedom of speech have been
undermined. The Elections Act 2022 reduces the independence
of electoral bodies and introduces photographic voter identification
requirements. Media concentration is becoming an increasing
problem alongside pressures on local journalism and concerns about
government appointments to the BBC. The use of ‘dark money’
in elections is an increasing concern. Freedom of speech remains
protected in law, but a proposed Online Safety Bill may restrict this in
the future. The government has also made political interventions to
shape education syllabuses.
▶ Constitutional Protections have been put under severe strain
following major breaches of the standards in public office at the
most senior level and concerns about corruption and conflict of
interest. There have been attempts within parliament by a prime
minister to change the parliamentary standards system for political
purposes. Political rights have been undermined by the Police,
Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act
2023, which increases powers to stop protests. Law was experienced
unevenly, with Black citizens much more likely to be stopped and
searched by the police than White people. Access to legal aid is
restricted, making justice uneven. The Government has strengthened
its power over the judiciary by reducing the scope of judicial review in
the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022. Government ministers have
openly shown willingness to break international law.
▶ Participatory conditions for democracy have remained good with
widespread elections across all levels of government and opportunities
for participation in party leadership elections for party members.
However, there remains no opportunity for direct or indirect
participation regarding the election of the second chamber - with
the House of Lords seeing more direct appointments by the Prime
Minister. The devolution of power to local councils and people has
been promised by consecutive governments and prime ministers since
2010, but there has been very little genuine devolution so far. There is
evidence that money has been allocated unevenly to local areas on the
basis of ‘pork-barrelling’ rather than through democratic mechanisms,
with marginal government-held areas the beneficiaries.
▶ Deliberative conditions for democracy have been damaged by the
fast-tracking of legislation through Parliament by the Government.
There are also ongoing concerns about social media disinformation,
with false information being spread about the Ukraine war and Covid
vaccines. There have been innovative and important examples of
citizens' assemblies, such as the Climate Assembly in Scotland, but
citizens' assemblies remain infrequent and disconnected from policy
making.
▶ Educational and economic resources are needed by all to be active
citizens in society. The pandemic saw disparities in education levels
grow which may have lasting consequences for democracy. There
remains no universal democratic education in schools to inspire and
inform the next generation of citizens. There has been a growing ‘cost
of living’ crisis and decline in material living standards. The Strikes
(Minimum Service Levels) Bill, introduced by the Government in 2023,
has been argued to undermine worker and human rights and may
negatively affect living standards further. The report sets out ten key recommendations to form a new
charter to protect, strengthen and renew democracy in the UK.
Authors
- Published in
- United Kingdom
