British democracy under attack , say Tories ahead of electoral reform debate

lbc.co.uk · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Conservatives criticise the government for taking insufficient action to prevent foreign interference 1 Mar 2026, 22:00 | Updated: 4h ago Starmer leaves Downing Street for Prime Ministerâs Questions. Picture: Getty By LBC Staff The Conservatives have accused Labour of failing to protect the UK from foreign interference, claiming British democracy is “under attack”. Loading audio... The party is set to call on MPs to vote down the Government’s proposed democratic reforms on Monday, arguing it “opens the door to electoral fraud” and does not do enough to tackle foreign interference from China.Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “British democracy is under attack."The Russian invasion of Ukraine, foreign cyberattacks on British politicians and institutions, and the transnational repression and espionage by the Chinese state, have all exposed the scale of the risks we now face.”Read more: Gorton and Denton delivers a brutal verdict on Starmer and a broken electoral system, writes Nick FerrariRead more: Reform UK would limit polls to British citizens and scale back postal votes The Conservatives have put forward a “reasoned amendment” calling for the Commons to reject the Representation of the People Bill, which lowers the voting age to 16, introduces automatic voting registration and tightens the rules on political donations.Sir James said the Bill weakened laws on electoral fraud and should be put off until a Government review of foreign interference in British politics, currently under way, has reported.He also accused Labour of “turning a blind eye to the growing menace of sectarian politics”, alluding to claims of “family voting” in the Gorton and Denton by-election last week.The reasoned amendment is almost certain to fail, given the Government’s significant majority in the Commons.