The UK Government is facing renewed pressure to restore the Electoral Commission’s independence amid warnings that its current oversight powers threaten democracy.
Reports revealed that UK is breaching eight international standards designed to protect electoral bodies from political interference.
Ministerial powers, introduced under Boris Johnson in 2022, could be easily abused by a future authoritarian government to distort elections.
Although the watchdog responsible for overseeing elections and campaign finance, was placed under government oversight for the first time when Johnson gave ministers the right to set its policy objectives.
Critics, including parliamentary committees and the Committee on Standards in Public Life, opposed the change.
Former MI5 director general Jonathan Evans warned the move was like giving a toddler a gun. Since then, the UK has plummeted in global rankings for electoral body autonomy, now sitting 44th worldwide well below peers like Canada, Australia, and Ireland.
Despite Labour’s earlier opposition, the party has not pledged to fully restore independence in its planned elections bill, though it promises to tighten rules on foreign donations.
The Electoral Commission’s chief executive, Vijay Rangarajan, has urged ministers to overturn the power, stressing that governments should not be able to influence those “refereeing” elections.
Campaigners are calling for legislation that enshrines the commission’s independence, removes ministerial control, and adds lay members to its oversight body to represent voters.
Susan Hawley of Spotlight on Corruption warned that stripping regulators of independence, as seen in Hungary and the US, risks democratic backsliding.
The government insists the Electoral Commission remains operationally independent and says its reforms strengthen democracy by tackling foreign interference and enforcing donation rules.
