Speeches by Ali.

“In relation to elections or—”

“We do. It was broadly well run. Of course, there were particular challenges around the timing of the election, which the Chair is very aware of, and some of the issues affecting electoral administrators. I have seen some of the evidence that was given in the previous sessions around that challenge, and they rose up to …”

“Just to add, I think it is very important that it is part of the work we do going forward. Picking up on the Chair’s comments earlier about building resilience and capacity, it is important to make sure that local authorities with that responsibility have the appropriate support. I am aware that in the last general ele…”

“You are right that it was a low turnout. In 2019 the turnout was higher, but over the last decade there have been various levels of turnout. It is of concern, and we have to do more as a society to engage people to participate. There are some 7 million to 8 million people who are not engaging and not registered to vote…”

“While the Government recognise that it is not a perfect system, first past the post is a system that we wish to continue with, and reforming the voting system is not a priority for this Government. As I say, we are focused on how we ensure that those who are not registered to vote, not participating—that we do the broa…”

“Look, this Government have inherited a huge set of challenges: the economic challenges, the cost of living crisis, the post-pandemic after-effects in health and a whole range of social challenges. We are focused on tackling the issues that are affecting people’s lives. As you will know—”

“As you will know, there was the AV referendum in the 2010 to 2015 period, during the coalition Government. That referendum was not won by those who supported changing the voting system. Our focus is around making sure that we do everything we can to engage and support those who have not registered, but also certain gro…”

“This is about the democratic system that we have operated in, which is first past the post. I respect our democratic system within which we are all elected, and we have a mandate. I could say the same about you.”

“Correct; you are. The Liberal Democrats had the opportunity with that referendum. The point here is that whether you are on the side of one particular system or another, the system we have in our country has served our country well and we should not delegitimise the democratic mandate that we have. There are arguments …”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“Absolutely.”

“The Liberal Democrats had the opportunity to change the system, and they didn’t.”

“There are a whole range of issues, as I say, from how politics is conducted to the harassment and intimidation that, as I mentioned, can knock people’s confidence and put people off. I have seen that. Others have seen that. We all have to be mindful of our own conduct in public life and this Government are determined t…”

“You are right, and it is not just now. There has been an ongoing issue around trust in politics, which is work that we all have to do to ensure that we can build trust. In our manifesto we set out that we will take action in relation to political finance, for instance, which is another area where some of the things tha…”

“We are looking into it. I do not know if you want to come in on the specifics.”

“As I mentioned earlier, the role that Government Departments play together, particularly the Department for Education and DCMS, is crucial. Youth Parliaments are important—Mr Speaker hosted the annual event here—as is the engagement of representatives in encouraging young people. More importantly, we are very intereste…”

“The Electoral Commission has an important role to play and we are keen to see that happen even more. This is a great opportunity. Of course, other institutions that can play a part in that are going to be important. As I say, it is an exciting agenda. I spent a great deal of time starting up charities to support young …”

“There are a number of discussions across Government about the use and importance of data, as you say, and linked data, in terms of policymaking. I mentioned DVLA, but there are other opportunities to look at how we can use government data in relation to voter registration, and we are having discussions. The Defending D…”

“I appreciate the point of the question, and we recognise that the current system of election law is complex. I know that in some quarters there have been calls to consolidate election law. We appreciate the strong sentiments around that, but simple consolidation would deny the opportunity for us to fix immediate proble…”

“I think we have made our position clear. The focus is about addressing the immediate issues as well as medium-term issues. The strategic review may well come back with further proposals that will take longer but, as Stuart has said, that is a much longer-term piece of work. It is important that we take action now and a…”