Campaigners have welcomed the government's announcement that it intends to scrap its powers over the Electoral Commission.
Best for Britain campaigned against the Elections Bill, which gave the government the power to set a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission, under the Conservative government.
But during the second reading debate on the bill, the Labour government has announced that it would abolish this power, with housing, communities and local government secretary Steve Reed stating: "We recognise the importance of maintaining confidence in the commission’s operational independence and ensuring it can carry out its statutory duties effectively, so we will repeal in full the power for government to impose a strategy and policy statement on the Electoral Commission.
Cary Mitchell, Executive Director of Operations at Best for Britain, which campaigns to strengthen democracy, said:
“A truly independent Electoral Commission is a vital piece of the UK’s democratic system, and Best for Britain has long campaigned against the dangers of any government having the power to tell the Commission how to do its job.
“We wholeheartedly welcome this news, but urge ministers to ensure this is a stepping stone, not the final destination, on the road towards real electoral reform, and to urgently shield our rights and freedoms from the authoritarian backsliding we’ve seen in the USA.”