This bill would introduce changes to laws governing elections and voting procedures in the United Kingdom.
The Bill was reintroduced after being carried over into the new parliamentary session. This allowed it to continue from the point it had reached before the King’s Speech: Report stage in the House of Commons.
MPs agreed clauses aimed at people who intimidate candidates, campaigners, elected office holders or election staff. The Bill would allow tougher sentencing where offences are motivated by hostility and could disqualify offenders from standing for or holding elected office for five years.
The committee added a Government new clause removing the power for ministers to designate a strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission. The Government said the election regulator must be independent and seen to operate free from political influence.
MPs debated proposed extra safeguards on foreign-linked donations, cryptocurrency donations, foreign state broadcasters and the source of political money. Several proposals were rejected or withdrawn, while the Government said further work would follow the Rycroft review.
The committee considered wider proposed changes, including repealing voter ID, creating a digital political advertising repository, dealing with electoral online harms, improving overseas voting and changing campaign finance thresholds. These proposals were not added to the Bill at committee stage.
The Public Bill Committee finished considering the Representation of the People Bill. The Bill was reported back to the House of Commons with amendments, meaning it could move on to Report stage.
MPs agreed changes to absent voting. The Bill aims to give postal voters clearer deadlines and more flexibility, including options to switch to voting in person or use an emergency proxy if a postal ballot is delayed.
MPs agreed clauses allowing election officers to share factual election information with the Government and Electoral Commission. The aim is to give voters one reliable place to find details such as candidates, polling stations and local election information.
MPs agreed measures to stop election agents’ home addresses being published, allowing safer correspondence addresses instead. They also agreed changes to make election expense returns easier to administer and to move some late-payment decisions from the courts to the Electoral Commission.
MPs agreed a new risk-assessment duty for political donations. The aim is to stop money being routed through third parties by requiring campaigners to look beyond whether a donor appears technically permissible and ask whether the money may really come from an impermissible source.
MPs continued through the political finance section of the Bill. They agreed rules on company and LLP donations, forfeiture of impermissible donations, and new controls on unincorporated associations that pass money into politics.
MPs agreed changes requiring more online political material to show who is behind it. They also agreed enforcement changes so more administrative offences can be handled through civil sanctions, with ministers saying the Electoral Commission’s maximum fine would be increased through secondary legislation.
The committee agreed changes to electoral registration rules, including a clearer 5pm deadline 12 working days before a poll. MPs also agreed changes to Northern Ireland registration rules so extra evidence is not always needed where official data checks already confirm a voter’s details.
MPs agreed changes so Northern Ireland electoral identity cards would show only the month and year of birth. The committee also agreed rules to help electoral registration officers access local authority and government data when maintaining voter registers.
The committee debated whether UK bank cards should be accepted as voter ID at polling stations. The Government said bank cards would help more legitimate voters meet ID rules, especially younger voters; opponents argued that a card with a name on it is not strong enough proof of identity. Clause 47 was agreed with amendments requiring bank cards to be in date.
The committee moved through another large section of the Bill, agreeing clauses 30 to 47. Two clauses were amended, and the committee was adjourned until 14 April.
The committee began going through the Bill line by line. MPs debated the clauses lowering the voting age to 16 and making related changes to elections and recall petitions. Clauses 1 to 6 were agreed, one with an amendment.
MPs agreed Schedule 1 with amendments. One change means registered 16 and 17-year-olds would be counted when working out whether a recall petition has reached the required threshold.
The committee debated rules for protecting the registration details of 14 and 15-year-olds who sign up before they can vote. The Bill would stop electoral registration officers from publishing or disclosing that information, except in limited circumstances.
MPs debated whether automatic voter registration would make elections more inclusive or risk making registers less accurate. Opponents argued it could add the wrong people in high-turnover areas; supporters argued the current system leaves too many renters, young people and minority voters missing from the register. Clauses 17 to 19 were agreed.
MPs heard evidence from electoral administrators, Solace and the Local Government Association. Witnesses welcomed parts of the Bill that make elections easier to run, but raised concerns about using bank cards as voter ID, the timetable for votes at 16, automatic registration and whether councils would have enough time and resources to deliver the changes.
The Electoral Commission welcomed the Bill’s direction on automatic voter registration, votes at 16 and tighter political finance rules, but said some donation rules could go further. The Electoral Reform Society argued that voter ID should be rebalanced so fewer eligible voters are turned away, while also calling for stronger rules on donations, crypto and digital campaigning.
MPs heard from Welsh and Scottish electoral bodies about their experience with automatic registration pilots and votes at 16. Witnesses said alignment across the UK would make elections clearer for voters and easier to administer, but warned that different systems or timetables could create confusion.
The afternoon evidence covered Northern Ireland’s long experience with photo voter ID, changes to canvass rules, and how young people should be prepared for voting at 16. Witnesses from youth democracy organisations said lowering the voting age would need proper education, trusted information and contact with politicians, not just a change in the law.
MPs debated major changes to UK election law, including votes at 16, automatic voter registration, voter ID, political donations, digital campaigning, foreign interference and protections for candidates and election staff. The Opposition tried to block the Bill with a reasoned amendment, but it was defeated by 410 votes to 105, and the Bill was then read a Second time.
The Representation of the People Bill was formally introduced in the House of Commons. This was the first step in its passage through Parliament.