Democracies around the world are in crisis, with steep erosions of trust; corruption; foreign interference; and oligarchy taking hold. The Government is expected to release its highly anticipated Elections Bill imminently, and has set out their intentions to ‘strengthen our democracy and uphold the integrity of elections’ – but will the provisions included in the upcoming Bill be sufficient to do just that? Join our panel of experts to discuss what is missing from the White Paper as it stands, and what needs to happen for this Bill to meet this unprecedented political moment.

The highly-anticipated White Paper set out proposals to lower the voting age to 16, introduce automatic voter registration, and close dark money loopholes to protect against foreign electoral interference. But some measures to promote election integrity are notably absent – including the restoration of the Electoral Commission’s independence, a pledge Labour made while in opposition, and efforts to rid our politics of its megadonor and big money problem.

Will the policies proposed actually strengthen our democracy? What provisions are missing? Will the exclusion of these policies jeopardise the Bill’s success at a critical moment for our democracy? Join electoral experts to discuss whether they expect the Elections Bill to deliver on its promise to ‘strengthen our democracy and uphold the integrity of elections,’ or fall short.