Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to reverse Labour’s stance on the Electoral Commission as MPs and peers prepare a renewed push to amend the upcoming elections bill.
In a letter to Starmer, lawmakers will argue that the elections watchdog must be fully independent and not subject to direction from the same political actors it is meant to hold accountable.
The government is expected to introduce an elections bill early next year that will extend voting rights to 16-year-olds and tighten rules around political donations.
However, Labour is resisting calls to undo changes made under Boris Johnson, which placed the Electoral Commission under ministerial oversight, allowing the government to set its priorities annually. A previous attempt in the House of Lords to restore independence passed with cross-party support but was overturned in the Commons.
Phil Brickell, Labour MP for Bolton West and chair of the all-party group on anti-corruption, warned that maintaining the Conservative-era oversight system would undermine Labour’s pledge to rebuild public trust. He said it also risks placing the UK behind international standards on electoral integrity.
Liberal Democrat spokesperson Lisa Smart echoed the concerns, pointing to the Trump administration as an example of how political interference can erode democracy.
She said leaving the commission vulnerable could open the door to similar abuses in the UK, referencing the recent sentencing of Reform UK figure Nathan Gill.
Green MP Ellie Chowns added that public confidence depends on democratic institutions operating free from political pressure, arguing that restoring full independence would reinforce electoral legitimacy.
Polling by Unlock Democracy shows strong public support for an autonomous Electoral Commission, with seven in ten voters backing the idea. The campaign group’s chief executive, Tom Brake, criticised Labour’s shift in position, insisting that no government should have influence over the elections regulator.
Despite the mounting criticism, the government maintains that the Electoral Commission remains operationally independent.
