UK Democracy Bulletin

Issue #71 — May 2025

Monthly news, jobs, grants and gossip from across the democracy sector, brought to you by James Moulding and Max Roche of the UK Democracy Network. Read by 400+ democracy organisations. We read everyone’s newsletters & research so you don’t have to. If you want us to cover yours, let us know: hello@democracynetwork.org.uk

How you can get involved right now! Do these things 👇

Highlights

Liberty hails major win as anti-protest legislation is quashed
University of Manchester UK’s voter registration process makes it an ‘international outlier’
Electoral Commission FOI reveals lack of overseas donation to political parties records
Full Fact publishes sixth annual report on the state of UK public debate
Vote for Policies to wind down after 15 years
Waves Demos launch a new tool powered by AI to help deepen citizen deliberation

#DemocracyJobs

Featured Job Listings across the Democracy Sector. View the full database of upcoming job listings here — have we missed any? Add them via this form.

Rolling deadlines

Rolling deadline: Advisory Board at The Traveller Movement (voluntary)
Multiple roles: Association of Democratic Services Officers

Featured upcoming roles

Apply by 25th May: Senior Advocacy Advisor at Spotlight on Corruption (£48,817)
Apply by 25th May: Campaigns and Communications Manager at Good Law Project (£51,500)
Apply by 27th May: Editorial Research Assistant at Westminster Forum Projects (Competitive)
Apply by 29th May: Senior Campaigns & Public Affairs Manager (x2) at Joseph Rowntree Foundation (£54,163.20 p/a plus £5k London weighting)
Apply by 30th May: Political Officer at Community Union (£45k)
Apply by 2nd June: Head of Campaigns at Economic Change Unit (£56k — £59k)
Apply by 8th June: Finance and membership Assistant at Acorn (£22,932pa, £25,207pa if in London)
Apply by 8th June: Digital Fundraising Officer at Refugee Action (£33,366 — £36,124)
Apply by 8th June: Grassroots Development Lead at Friends of the Earth (Regional £22,342 — £23,539 London £24,336 — £25,531)
Apply by 10th June: Chair at Sheila Mckechnie Foundation (voluntary role)
Apply by 10th June: Treasurer at Sheila Mckechnie Foundation (voluntary role)
Apply by 11th June: Political Officer at GMB Union (starting at £55,244 inclusive of London Weighting)
Apply by 16th June: Research and Analysis Lead at I Value the Arts (£33k — £37k)
Apply by 20th June: Digital Organiser at Hope not Hate (£33k — £35k)
Apply by 29th June: Head of Media at New Economy Organisers Network (£52,078)

Funding Democracy

Funding available to address racial discrimination in the criminal justice system

New grants are available from The Baring Foundation to support organisations working on legal action that addresses racial injustice — with a focus on police in schools, repression of protest, and challenging legislation which disproportionately criminalises racialised people. Grants of up to £50,000 for up to 18 months, or up to £90,000 over three years are available. Email by Friday 30 May 2025 to set up a call and apply.

Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust to fund a range of exciting new projects

JRRT has announced details of some of the exciting projects they will be funding over the coming year. These include:

Black Equity Organisation received £73,148 over one year to implement the Black British Mandate and secure delivery of at least three of its policy demands during the current parliamentary period.

The Constitution Unit (University College London) received £56,431 over one year to promote House of Commons reform and restore standards of scrutiny and accountability in the new parliament.

Disability Policy Centre received £59,150 over one year to conduct the first-ever research project monitoring the number of disabled MPs and investigating barriers to disclosure in the 2024–2029 Parliament.

Operation Black Vote received £68,000 over one year to strengthen organisational capacity and expand local engagement through the National Voter Registration Alliance.

Reporters Without Borders received £38,782 over one year to improve the UK government’s response to transnational repression targeting journalists based in the UK.

Rights & Security International received £35,681 over one year to challenge the securitised policing of protest movements in Northern Ireland, with a focus on protecting rights-based campaigns.

Labour for a New Democracy received £57,228 over one year to maintain and extend Labour movement demands for proportional representation.

Elections Latest

Local elections a ‘worrying milestone for democracy’, says Electoral Reform Society

A ‘worrying milestone’ has been reached in England, says the Electoral Reform Society, as two combined authority mayors were elected on less than 30% of the vote — with one scraping by with just a quarter. In 2021, under the Supplementary Vote system, winning candidates in these regions had nearly 50% of the vote, but the switch to First Past The Post has since dramatically altered the outcome.

Petition launched to reform UK voting system after ‘disproportionate’ local election results

Make Votes Matter, Open Britain, Unlock Democracy and Compass have launched a joint petition calling on the government to reform the voting system after the local elections delivered an ‘unfair and disproportionate’ result. The petition cites the mayoral result in the West of England where Labour won on 25% of the vote and on a 30% voter turnout, meaning just 8% of the local population actually voted for their new mayor.

Local elections a story of ‘unprecedented fragmentation’, say More in Common

More in Common has broken down the results of the local elections with an extensive analysis of what they mean for the major parties. The key takeaway is that the fragmentation of the electorate means the ‘era of multi-party politics has well and truly arrived’.

Women significantly underrepresented at local elections, says Elect Her

According to Elect Her and Democracy Club, early numbers from the local elections suggest only about 27% of those elected were women. Although gender representation in Parliament is often better than this, the local elections show there is a long road ahead to reach genuine gender parity in politics.

The UK is ‘a real outlier’ due to difficulty of its voter registration process, according to new research

University of Manchester academics have found the UK is a ‘real outlier internationally’ when it comes to voter registration, based on research with 62 countries. Requirements to actively register to vote, meet strict deadlines and cast a ballot at specific polling stations in person, create a system which is far more onerous than other countries, they say. Labour is currently considering whether to introduce automatic voter registration which campaigners say would enfranchise millions.

Is Reform UK about to start benefiting from First Past the Post?

Following big successes at the local elections and a by-election win in Labour’s heartlands, Nigel Farage can now argue — with growing force — that it is the Conservatives who are splitting the right-wing vote, not the other way around. As suggested in the New Statesman, the First-Past-The-Post voting system could now begin to work in Reform’s favour as right leaning voters think carefully about how to keep out progressive MPs.

Democracy Sector

Democracy Coworking in London, Thursday 19th June

Don’t miss next month’s Democracy Coworking — sign up here and find out more.

Date set for parliamentary debate on gender recognition ruling, following petition

A date has been set for a parliamentary debate to discuss the recent ruling to be changed to allow transgender people to be granted gender recognition certificates on the basis of self-identification. This follows a petition which received over 125,000 signatures. It reads ‘we believe the government should change legislation to make it easier for trans people of all ages to change their legal gender without an official diagnosis of gender dysphoria.’

Vote for Policies to wind down after 15 years

Vote for Policies has taken the difficult decision to wind down after 15 years, five general elections, and over 4 million users of their policy tracking tool. Founder Matt Chocqueel-Mangan said a combination of declining reach and (welcome) competition from Full Fact’s Government Tracker tool, meant the team could no longer justify the effort. He added that he ‘couldn’t be happier [Full Fact] are taking the baton’.

Electoral Commission to take Democracy Club’s ‘polling station finder’ in-house

Set up over a decade ago, Democracy Club’s polling station finder has been an integral tool in helping voters find out where they can vote. The Electoral Commission has always been a firm believer in the project and has now offered to take it in-house, guaranteeing the long term continuity of the project.

Applications for the School of Everyday Democracy are now open

The ‘School of Everyday Democracy’, hosted by Involve and Act Build Change, helps equip 100 changemakers with the skills and opportunities to make a real impact in their communities. The successful applicants will form a new collaborative network, sharing ideas and tactics for strengthening democracy on their local patch.

Communicating about democracy under threat — lessons from the US

Focus group research by Frameworks Institute in the US reveals three major obstacles to communicating about democracy at the moment. A major factor is that concepts like democracy and authoritarianism are difficult for people to relate to, so instead they recommend tapping into feelings of uncertainty, powerlessness and being at the whim of others. They will be undertaking further research in the near future to test these messaging principles — keep your eyes peeled for updates.

Sheila Mckechnie Foundation is looking for a new Chair and Treasurer

The Chair will hold the Board and staff team to account for SMK’s mission and vision and provide inclusive leadership to the Board. The Treasurer is expected to be the financial expert on the Board, and will provide advice on all financial matters. The deadline for both of these exciting opportunities is 10th of June.

Republic hold mass protest in Trafalgar Square for ‘Republic Day’

Republic recently gathered hundreds in Trafalgar Square for ‘Republic Day’. Featuring speeches from Natalie Bennett, Norman Baker and Kelechi Okafor, — and a special appearance by their 30 foot mascot Chuck the Rex — the campaign group called for the abolition of the monarchy and a more democratic future for the UK.

Inquest publish digital archive of state repression and resistance

In June 2022, INQUEST set out to document its over 40-year history exploring state violence and popular resistance. They have now published a new digital archive, made in partnership with Millipedia, which provides a window onto that important history.

Zero Hour launch ‘REAL Change’ campaign

Zero Hour has launched a new campaign ‘REAL Change’ calling on the government to offer real change on climate on nature policy. The campaign launched 650 open letters to Keir Starmer (one for every constituency in the UK) and has currently generated over 70,000 signatures — the Climate and Nature Bill calls for a temporary Climate and Nature citizens assembly to build consensus around action on climate change.

Climate Coalition to host a ‘Mass Lobby’ in June to boost climate action

The Climate Coalition is set to host a ‘Mass Lobby’ on 9th July which should be a significant moment for democratic engagement on climate. The lobby will bring together citizens from across the country to meet their MPs and demand bold and practical engagement on the climate and nature crisis.

Climate Emergency UK to launch 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards

On 17th of June Climate Emergency UK is launching the 2025 Council Climate Action Scorecards, a holistic assessment of all UK councils’ climate work. This is the second edition, so they will be comparing to see what changes in council climate action have happened since the 2023 scorecards. Also, on the 4th of June they will be hosting a pre-launch briefing to discuss the results.

Care Full to launch new podcast exploring the power of words

On Wednesday 27th of May Care Full are launching a new podcast — Words of Affirmation — which will demystify, dismantle and destroy the seeming innocence around words which have entered our everyday lexicon. Each week they’ll choose a new sound bite and explore where it came from and how it holds back from a fairer, more caring society — give it a listen now.

Citizen Network is keen to develop a shared project on constitutional convention

Simon Duffy from Citizen Network is interested in developing a shared project for a rolling constitutional convention. The project would open up interest around the country and to provoke deeper reflection on what democracy demands. Get in touch if you’re keen to collaborate.

Last chance to apply the Newspeak House fellowship programme

The Newspeak House fellowship programme offers students an opportunity to spend a year immersed in communities of practice and undertake the one-year course ‘Introduction to Political Technology’, alongside a range of other activities. This is the last chance to apply to the 2025/26 intake starting in September.

Not1More to explore effectiveness of public inquiries as a method addressing state harm

Not1More is convening a one-day conference on June 18th bringing together campaigners, lawyers and policy experts from across a broad range of civil society to reflect on their experiences of engaging with public inquiries. This will form part of their wider assessment of the effectiveness of public inquiries as a method for communities seeking justice from state harm.

Safe Landing is running a ‘Visioning Assembly’ to discuss the future of the aviation industry

Safe Landing is inviting aviation workers and other enthusiasts to a ‘Visioning Assembly’ to discuss the future of the industry. The assembly will be in-person in London (exact location TBC) on Saturday 13th of September and will seek to create a transformational vision for the future of air travel that is distinct from the current flightpath.

The People Act to host workshop on legislative theatre

On June 19th, The People Act: Legislative Theatre will be hosting a free public workshop introducing legislative theatre (with a focus on health, climate and housing policy) at the LSE Festival. The workshop will help anyone seeking new ways to inject accessibility and creativity into decision-making and systems change. And if you’re interested in this, Active Inquiry Theatre are currently working with Historic Environment Scotland to develop a piece of Legislative Theatre to explore accessibility to their sites — email Gavin if you want to come to the performance on the 5th of June.

Devolved & Local Democracy

ElectHer working on new ‘Fix the System’ project to improve local democracy

ElectHer are working on a new project — ‘Fix the System’ — which looks at ways of improving democracy for all. The project will focus on eight major workstreams; Data & Research, Community & Network, Education & Training, Financial Support & Compensation, Transparent & Accountable Processes & Practice, Policies & Legislation, Media & Advocacy, and Normative Standards. If you work in the local democracy space and are interested in changing the system, get in touch with Annabel Mullin.

Demos launch paper calling for public participation in local planning process

On 15th May Demos launched a new report — The MIMBY Majority: How to unlock housebuilding with early and representative public participation in planning. The report, supported by the Royal Town Planning Institute, calls for a new approach to public participation in planning decisions to ensure early public involvement which could help anticipate issues earlier and give residents a meaningful opportunity to contribute. You can also check out the recording from the launch event.

Democratic Reform & Innovation

Reform voters are the most likely to trust Citizens’ Assemblies over MPs, according to poll

New polling for Sortition Foundation shows Reform UK voters are the most likely group to trust Citizens’ Assemblies over MPs, with 69% saying they trust the former compared to just 8% that trust the latter. More broadly, the polling shows that there is broad cross-party support for more citizens’ assemblies with a majority of voters for all major parties trusting them over MPs.

Improving voter registration through automatic voter registration — new report out

A new report from Professors Toby S. James and Paul Bernal of the University of East Anglia — Introducing Automatic Voter Registration — describes how AVR could be an effective solution to address democratic inequality. The report, commissioned by the UK Democracy Fund, sets out how AVR would improve the accuracy and completeness of the register, whilst respecting voters’ privacy and saving money.

Polling shows vast majority of public supports a ‘National Commission for Electoral Reform’

The APPG for Fair Elections — now the biggest ‘All-Party Parliamentary Group’ in Westminster — has revealed brand new polling, showing that a majority (52%) of the public backs its call for a ‘National Commission for Electoral Reform’, whilst just 10% oppose it. They are now calling for the government to act on this widespread support.

‌New research show potential detrimental effect of voter ID laws

Recent research by Dr. Tom Barton of King’s College London highlights the potentially harmful impact of voter ID laws on electoral turnout. The study estimates that during the 2018 Bromley local elections — where voter ID was piloted — around 10,571 people were discouraged from voting and effectively disenfranchised due to the ID requirement. Although Labour has said voter ID reform is not on the table, the Electoral Reform Society is calling for major changes to the ID requirements.

Democratising the Media

Indie news providers raise concerns over Local Democracy Reporting Service

Local news providers have raised concerns about the BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service following the recent distribution of new contracts. With over 80% going to three large corporations — National World, Newsquest and Reach — questions are being asked about how to make the service more democratic.

Media Democracy Festival 2025 is here, 31st May in London

This year’s Media Reform Coalition annual festival is being held at the University of Westminster on 31st May, with keynotes including Green Party Deputy Leader Zack Polanski and journalist Sangita Myska. Each year the festival brings together activists, independent media organisations, researchers, policy makers and supporters of a more democratic media ecosystem in the UK. Register your ticket now.

House of Lords block Labour’s AI plans in bid to improve copyright protection

The Society of Editors joined a host of other organisations in calling on the government to amend UK copyright law to protect the creative industry, days before a crucial House of Lords vote on the topic. The upper house then voted against the government plans to allow AI platforms to use copyrighted work without permission — an amendment which was passed by 272 to 125 votes.

Integrity & Transparency

Liberty hails major win as anti-protest legislation is quashed

Positive news for campaigners as the court of appeal upheld the quashing of a key anti-protest regulation which they said was introduced unlawfully. Liberty has been working tirelessly on this. Their director Akiko Hart said the result was a ‘huge win’ which ‘set an important precedent that government ministers must respect the law’.

FOI request reveals major lack of transparency around overseas political donations

A Freedom of Information request from the Byline Times reveals that the Electoral Commission keeps no record of how many overseas donors are financing British political parties. The Commision said they keep no record as to whether donations are coming domestically or from overseas. The finding comes as Reform UK announced they are on the hunt for wealthy non-dom financiers in offshore locations such as Monaco or the UAE, though it should be noted Labour and the Conservatives have both received significant non-dom donations in the past.

Full Fact publishes sixth annual report on the state of UK public debate

The report by Full Fact examines the current landscape of misinformation in the UK, analysing how recent political shifts have created new challenges for those working to combat false and misleading information. It also considers the roles and responsibilities now facing government, regulators, and online platforms in battling misinformation and upholding high standards political debate.

Meta’s advertising architecture is a threat to democracy, says new report

A new report from Open Rights Group tracks how Meta is enabling rogue actors to manipulate elections, spread misinformation and fuel division through its targeted advertising system. The report identifies three broad issues — the transparency problem, the moderation problem and the profiling problem — all of which require a legal or regulatory solution to safeguard democracy against the interference of big tech.

Social media and search engine platforms are enabling climate denial, says new report

Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) research shows that climate deniers are strategically spreading disinformation about clean energy online to undermine the environmental solutions. The research suggests social media and search engine platforms are giving climate deniers the tools they need to succeed by damaging people’s trust in science and delaying climate action.

Pro-democracy tech

Demos launch ‘Waves’ — a new tool powered by AI to help deepen citizen deliberation

Demos has launched what they consider to be the UK’s biggest ever experiment in digital democracy — a new platform, powered by AI, designed to close the gap between councils and citizens. The platform, called Waves, will help identify areas of consensus between otherwise polarised groups on specific topics, and will help digest complex information for participants to make it more accessible. Camden Council and South Staffordshire District Council will be the first to trail the new technology before it is rolled out to others across the country. The project is being delivered by a new coalition of partners, including New Local, CASM Technology; and digital democracy platforms, PSi and Remesh.

And now for something completely different …

Lessons from the US: Pro Democracy Movement Playbook

Scott Nakagawa, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the 22nd Century Initiative (22CI), makes the argument that pro-democracy advocates must pivot from reacting to building — faster, sharper, and at every level. Specific demands tied to institutional change are the key to turning temporary backlash against authoritarianism into permanent democratic renewal, he says.

See you next time,

Max, James and the Democracy Network team