Elections Bill - the fight's not over

Elections Bill - the fight's not over!

Thank you for all your support in challenging the government's Elections Bill on Monday.

It was great to see MPs up and down the country speaking out against the bill, with many acknowledging the strength of feeling of their constituents.

Rushed through Parliament by the government, the Bill was carried by 325 votes in favour to 234 against.

Liberal Democrat MPs, alongside Labour, SNP and the Green Party voted against the Bill.

MPs were given only two hours and 20 minutes to debate amendments! This meant that amendment NC13 - put forward by Alistair Carmichael MP and Caroline Lucas MP - was not heard.

However, Alistair (Liberal Democrat spokesperson for home affairs, political and constitutional reform) did seize the moment to make a very powerful speech on the imperative to change the voting system:

• Watch a clip from Alistair here.

• Read Alistair's full speech in the context of the broader debate here.

The result of Monday's division is disappointing. But the fight is not over!

As the Bill now moves to the House of Lords, we must keep the pressure on.

This week, strong opposition to the government's Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill in the Lords resulted in a series of defeats for the government - who will now need to rethink the bill. Here at LDER we are hopeful that the Elections Bill could meet a similar fate.

We will continue to work with our parliamentary party and our cross-party allies to challenge this pernicious piece of legislation.

Keep an eye on our newsletters for the latest on action you can take.

For now, let's get out a strong Liberal Democrat showing on 5 February's March for Democracy.

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