The Constitution Unit

Elections and referendums - updating campaign regulation for a digital era

Episode Summary

The first panel of day two of our conference on Johnson's constitutional reform agenda discussed the need to update political campaigning regulations for a digital era.

Episode Notes

This is a recording of a panel session from our conference looking at the government's constitutional reform agenda. The panel discussed why political campaigning regulations aren't fit for purpose in a digital era and how regulations should be updated. 

Speakers: 

• John Pullinger, Chair of Electoral Commission
• Dr Kate Dommett, Sheffield
• Prof Rachel Gibson, Manchester.

Chair: Dr Alan Renwick, Constitution Unit, UCL.

The two-day conference was jointly organised with the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Oxford University and UK in a Changing Europe.  This episode was recorded on 17 June 2021. 

Suggested reading: 

• Why we need an independent Electoral Commission, by Alan Renwick and Charlotte Kincaid on the Constitution Unit blog, published 7 October 2020.
• The government’s electoral reform agenda: an assessment, by Alan Renwick on the Constitution Unit blog, published 12 February 2020.
• Constitutional reformers need to tackle six key questions about the regulation of digital campaigning, by Kate Dommett on the Constitution Unit blog, published 18 June 2021.
• Online harms to democracy: the government’s change of approach, by Alex Walker on the Constitution Unit blog, published 13 April 2021.
• The UK Electoral Integrity Bill, policy brief by Toby S. James, Stuart Wilks-Heeg and Alistair Clark, mentioned by Kate Dommett in response to a question on voter ID, published 2 May 2021.
• Increasing Parliamentary Accountability in Electoral Policy, written statement made by Chloe Smith (Minister for the Constitution) on 17 June 2021.