cover image: English Democracy: Electoral Reform, England and the Future of the United Kingdom

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English Democracy: Electoral Reform, England and the Future of the United Kingdom

14 Jun 2022

This report aims to bring debates about the exercise of state power, electoral reform, the future of the union and English democracy together. They are closely inter-related and must be tackled together if Labour hopes to implement its aspirations for radical and wide-ranging social, economic and democratic reform. The report has five sections. Section One examines the underlying causes of the strains within the union and argues that a reformed union for the 21st century needs a new shared purpose and must resolve England’s role within it. Section Two shows how Labour defeats have been closely linked to its inability to respond to the growing importance of nation and identity in the politics of the UK. English national democracy in the form of English Votes for English Laws can help Labour in England and, by unlocking a reformed union, in Scotland too. Section Three sets out how FPTP has exacerbated tensions within the United Kingdom, giving an unrepresentative government elected largely in England dominance over the whole union, and keeping England as the most centralised nation in Europe. It outlines how Labour will be unable to implement its policies unless power is devolved from the union state in Whitehall to all the nations and localities of the United Kingdom and why this inevitably means embracing the politics of pluralism. Section Four argues that changes to the UK constitution, including English national democracy within a proportionally elected Commons can, with other incremental changes, bring in a new union that will be more open to progressive and pluralist politics. Section Five looks at how Labour could win support for radical change in its next manifesto
democracy uk

Authors

John Denham

Published in
United Kingdom

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