Legislation

Labour’s proposal to give citizens more say in how the country is run was quickly shot down by critics. But is it the future of democracy?

Civil liberties groups, electoral reformers and senior MPs on both sides of the Commons have condemned government plans to introduce a requirement for voters to prove their identity before casting their ballot. Downing Street said it was a “reasonable approach” and 99.6% of people in pilots requiring people to show photographic ID had managed to […]

Boris Johnson has claimed Johnny Mercer is a “valued” minister as he tries to stop him resigning from government. Veterans minister Mercer is thought to be unhappy about a lack of progress in dealing with former personnel being investigated for killings during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He has been heavily involved in the Overseas Operations […]

Labour is preparing to heap pressure on Boris Johnson to act in the wake of the killing of Sarah Everard by pledging legislation to protect women and girls. Keir Starmer is planning to use what he believes is a watershed moment to press for the harassment of women on the street to become an offence […]

Dominic Raab has been accused of breaking the law over his decision not to offer MPs a vote on shrinking the UK’s aid budget. A group of 28 MPs from seven different political parties wrote to Raab claiming his plans to abandon the 0.7% of GDP spend on aid would break a law instituted by David Cameron, […]

Fears are growing that ministers want to “bury” a report into the controversial practice of fire and rehire. The government asked Acas to review the policy and received its findings in February. But ministers faced claims of “sitting” on the report given its lack of a response. Research from trade unions has suggested an increase […]

NINA DE AYALA PARKER on the pandemic of gender violence that led to the death of Sarah Everard. The reaction to the murder of Sarah Everard marks a watershed moment in the fight to end sexual harassment and femicide in the UK. Why? Because, the focus is no longer on women, but on men. It […]

Boris Johnson’s controversial curbs on protests would “make a dictator blush” and show his government’s liking for “authoritarianism”, MPs have warned. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill cleared its first parliamentary hurdle after receiving a second reading by 359 votes to 263, majority 96, despite opposition to several measures contained within it. Labour tabled […]

Conservative MPs have demanded prime minister Boris Johnson gives them a Commons vote on moves to slash the UK’s aid contribution to war-torn Yemen. Former cabinet minister David Davis warned the policy “puts lives at risk” and must receive prior approval from MPs. The UK has pledged at least £87 million in aid, down from […]

Legislation is currently making its way through the UK parliament to repeal the controversial fixed-term parliaments act, which sets the period between general elections at five years and limits the prime minister’s power to trigger an election earlier. An earlier election is possible if two thirds of MPs vote for it or if the government […]