Constitution Unit launches Independent Commission on Referendums

The UCL Constitution Unit today launches an Independent Commission on Referendums, bringing together a group of very senior figures to deliberate on the use and conduct of referendums in the UK. The Commission will meet over 8 months, take evidence, and produce a report and detailed recommendations in summer 2018. The 12 distinguished Commission members include two former cabinet-level ministers, four other current and former parliamentarians, the former Chair of the Electoral Commission and a former head of political programming at the BBC. Others are leaders in the fields of political theory, media standards and public opinion. They represent a range of political opinions, with expertise extending across all major UK referendums of recent years. Although referendums have become an increasingly common feature of UK democracy it is a long time since the framework governing them was last comprehensively reviewed. Since legislation was first introduced in 2000, successive referendums have raised important issues that remain unaddressed. After last year's EU referendum, concerns were raised about the quality of debate, the potential for misinformation, the use of public funds for campaigning purposes, and the divisive nature of the campaign. The implementation of the result also exposed the tensions between the use of direct democracy and the UK's constitutional cornerstone: parliamentary sovereignty. Nonetheless, it looks like there will be no going back on the use of referendums. Requirements for referendums before abolishing the Scottish Parliament or Welsh Assembly have recently been codified in UK law. The question we must now ask is how can we do them better?