Labour to scrap government power over elections watchdog amid fears of abuse

Labour to scrap government power over elections watchdog amid fears of abuse MPs and campaigners had warned law imposed by Tories could be used by future leaders to ‘undermine democracy’ UK politics live – latest updates Ministers are to repeal powers imposed by the Conservatives that allowed them control over the elections watchdog, after warnings they could be abused by a future government with authoritarian ambitions. Steve Reed, who as communities secretary is overseeing a new elections bill, announced the move to MPs, saying he would “repeal in full the power for government to impose a strategy and policy statement on the Electoral Commission”. The powers, laid out in the Conservatives’ Elections Act from 2022, were criticised as giving ministers the chance to interfere politically in the work and enforcement priorities of the commission, which is meant to be independent. A series of groups and MPs had urged Keir Starmer’s government to reverse this in its representation of the people bill, saying the powers could be exploited by a future government. A report last year by the campaign group Spotlight on Corruption warned that the powers over the Electoral Commission “could easily be abused to undermine our democracy”. Reed’s announcement comes after days of criticism by Reform UK about the conduct of elections, after Nigel Farage’s party failed to win the Gorton and Denton byelection, coming more than 4,000 votes behind the Greens. Farage has claimed that his party was “cheated”, citing what he said was the incidence of people deciding votes on behalf of family members, and what he called widespread corruption in postal voting, which he wants to greatly restrict. Speaking in the Commons debate on Monday night, Danny Kruger, a Reform MP, claimed that large numbers of UK voters from Asian backgrounds were “taking their orders on how to vote from mosques and from clans – often direct from Pakistan”. The Electoral Commission takes a different view. Its report into ...