Fix Politics Now

9 in 10 people believe that our political system needs reform.

Both main party leaders have admitted its faults, but no one has stepped forward with the reform plan our politics needs.

We need to raise money now to make sure that political reform is not ignored at the next General Election. The next Government must deliver change.

Unlock Democracy is leading a broad coalition of campaign organisations dedicated to fixing the political system that's failing us so badly.

We need to Fix Politics Now.

What's the problem?

Everyone is fed up with the lies, sleaze and corruption that has dominated the front pages in recent years. The relentless centralisation of power in Whitehall has left local communities unable to influence local decisions.

Why does the House of Lords exist with around 800 members including so many party donors, Boris Johnson's cronies and, even in 2023, hereditary peers? It has no place in a modern democracy.

But it's the House of Commons where the biggest problems lie. 

Because of our voting system, the votes cast in elections don't match seats awarded in the Commons. It's not representative of the country and even worse, it's failing to deal with the big issues facing our country such as climate change, the NHS crisis and the rising cost of living.

As the Prime Minister said, "Our political system rewards short-term decision making". As the Leader of the Opposition says, "The Westminster system is part of the problem."

Words aren't enough - who will step up to fix our politics?

Most of the smaller parties are calling for political reform and we welcome that. But our political system means that for change to happen, one or both of the big parties will have to back it.

What kind of reform is needed?

These are the reforms that Unlock Democracy are fighting for - 

• Proportional representation for Westminster elections - unless we make the House of Commons representative of the country, little can change in our politics. Votes cast must match seats awarded.
• An elected or part-elected House of Lords - hereditary peers and political donors and cronies have no role to play in a modern democracy, let alone have a chance to set our laws.
• Move power out of Westminster to local communities - more decisions taken in town halls, not Whitehall. Give local people a chance to shape their communities.
• Clean up our politics - restrict second jobs for MPs, take big money out of our politics and make sure our politicians play by the same rules as the rest of us.

We also want to see a written constitution for the United Kingdom that enshrines our rights and freedoms in law. It will also set out the powers of central and devolved governments, so that these powers cannot be abused. 

Why donors matter so much to us
Opponents of political reform such as right-wing think tanks receive millions of pounds a year to fund their work. Because our laws are so weak, they don't need to say where their money comes from.

In the past their funders have included tobacco and fossil fuel companies - who all wanted to push their own agenda.

That's what we're up against. Unlock Democracy is 100% transparent about its funding.  It comes from rental income from a property we own, grants and our members and supporters in small donations. We couldn't do what we do without their support.

At the next General Election and in the critical period beyond it, we need to fight our biggest ever campaign to put political reform at the heart of the next Government's agenda.

It's the best chance for change we've had in a generation.

By becoming a donor, you'll be helping activities including -

• Persuading the public to back reform - advertising and campaigns that demonstrate to the public the difference that political reforms will make to the way we are governed and the future of our country.
• Growing our movement of supporters - Unlock Democracy is one of the fastest growing campaign organisations in the country. More supporters and members help us heap more pressure on the political parties.
• Polling and research projects - building the evidence base to persuade parties to support policies that reform our politics.
• Growing our coalition for reform - changing our politics is not something we can do on our own, we are building a wide coalition of organisations that support political reform. Your donations help us grow that movement.
• Widening participation in our democracy - around 8 million eligible UK citizens are not registered to vote. Voter ID laws could prevent up to 2 million people from voting at the next election. We are campaigning to make sure every eligible voter can vote.

Your help is needed now

The General Election could be upon us at any moment. We know for sure that it must happen by January 2025.

We are making our plans for the election now and for the first 100 days of the next government. We want to be very ambitious in the size of the campaign we fight, but that depends on what we can raise in this Crowdfunder.

Your support is key to that.

The challenges facing the UK are larger than ever, but if we can make our political system fit for purpose, then we will have a better chance of facing them head on.

A functional political system will HELP the fight against climate change, for the NHS and against the care crisis and the cost of living crisis.

The current political system leads to short term decisions and sticking plaster politics. It allows the interests of the minority to be imposed on the majority. It has failed us for too long.

This is our time to get change - please help us do this.

Let's Fix Politics Now.