Electoral Commission warns bill threatens independence

The Electoral Commission has written a letter saying that government plans could seriously undermine its independence and could affect confidence in the wider electoral system.

The letter argues that provisions in the Elections Bill for ministers to draw up a new ‘strategy and policy statement’ had no precedent in comparable democracies.

In previous months, critics and opposition parties have labelled the idea an attempt to neuter the organisation and stop it looking too closely at areas such as party funding. The letter agrees, stating that the move, driven by the then governing party, would enable ‘that party’s ministers to shape how electoral law is applied to them and their political competitors’.

It reads: “It is our firm and shared view that the introduction of a strategy and policy statement – enabling the government to guide the work of the commission – is inconsistent with the role that an independent electoral commission plays in a healthy democracy. This independence is fundamental to maintaining confidence and legitimacy in our electoral system.”

The idea of the strategy and policy statement was drawn up by the Cabinet Office under Michael Gove. Responsibility for the Elections Bill has moved with Gove to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.