Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to transform many aspects of our lives in the coming years. One of these is the functioning of the democratic system. AI could shift how election campaigns are conducted and how citizens receive and process information. It could also fundamentally alter patterns of power across society. So what potential effects of AI on democracy should we be particularly aware of? To what degree are there opportunities as well as dangers? And how should policy-makers respond? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.

Speakers:

• Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, specialising in political philosophy, public policy, and ethics, and Founder and Chairperson of Partners In Democracy.
• Helen Margetts, Professor of Society and the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Public Policy programme at the Alan Turing Institute.
• Ciaran Martin, Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and formerly Chief Executive of the UK government’s National Cyber Security Centre.

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Additional reading:

'The Real Dangers of Generative AI' by Danielle Allen and E. Glen Weyl

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Talk of possible reforms to the Stormont institutions has been growing recently, spurred by concerns about repeated institutional collapses, perceived inequities between different parts of society, and criticisms of the institutions' record in governance. But what options for reform are there, and what impacts might these have if implemented? A newly published report from the Constitution Unit at University College London addresses these questions. It does not draw conclusions, but aims to promote wider, more coherent and better-informed debate.

This public event, hosted in collaboration with the Democracy Unit at Queen’s University Belfast, offered an occasion for such debate. The report’s authors were joined by leading experts to explore the ideas and possible ways forward.

Speakers:

• Professor Katy Hayward – Professor of Political Sociology, Queen’s University Belfast
• Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit
• Ann Watt – Director of Pivotal
• Alan Whysall, Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Constitution Unit

Chair: Professor John Garry, Director of the Democracy Unit, Queen’s University Belfast

Read the report
 

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Political parties are central to the functioning of representative democracy in the UK, playing a crucial role during and between elections. How parties fund their activities is thus a vital question, and one that has been much discussed in recent months. New controversies have shone a light on long-standing debates about who can donate to political parties, how much they can donate, and the transparency of their donations. So what are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK’s party funding regulations? Are the current regulations sufficiently robust, fair, and transparent? And if not, how might they be improved? We discussed these questions with an expert panel.

• Jackie Killeen – Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation, Electoral Commission
• Lord (Mark) Pack – President, Liberal Democrats
• Professor Justin Fisher – Professor of Political Science, Brunel University of London
• Dr Jess Garland – Director of Research and Policy, Electoral Reform Society

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Politics in the UK has been in turmoil in recent years — Brexit, Covid, movements for independence in Scotland and Northern Ireland, rule-breaking Prime Ministers and now the shockwaves from Donald Trump’s return to the White House. These pressures have tested the UK’s political system, raising serious questions about whether constitutional reforms are needed.

In this episode, we dive into a new report from the UCL Constitution Unit, which examines possible constitutional changes, their likelihood of passing, and whether they could truly address the challenges the UK faces. Our guests are two of the report’s authors:

• Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit and Professor of British and Comparative Politics at UCL
• Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit

Our host, Alan Renwick, also a co-author of the report, leads the discussion on possible constitutional reforms, their feasibility, and what reforms could be on the horizon.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Constitutional Landscape: Options for Reform, by Lisa James, Patrick Thomas, Alan Renwick and Meg Russell.
• S7:E10 A Primer on House of Lords Reform, with Meg Russell.

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Recent years have seen frequent complaints about the quality of legislative scrutiny by parliament, and particularly by the House of Commons. Various commentators and experts have argued that the scrutiny of proposed laws is too often rushed and/or inadequate, leading to worse policy outcomes for citizens. This online seminar will explore a number of important questions. What problems are there with the legislative process? Have they got worse? And what can be done to fix them?

Speakers: 

• Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit
• Sir David Natzler – former Clerk of the House of Commons
• Dr Daniel Gover – Senior Lecturer in British Politics, Queen Mary University of London

Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow, Constitution Unit

Further reading
Prof Meg Russell's research on the decline of parliamentary scrutiny
Prof Meg Russell and Dr Daniel Gover's book: Legislation at Westminster: Parliamentary Actors and Influence in the Making of British Law
 

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Parliament is at the heart of democracy—it’s where voters are represented, laws are debated, and key decisions are made. But who really controls what gets discussed and how time is allocated?

In the UK, that power lies overwhelmingly with the government, leaving most MPs with little say over what they debate. That seems odd—after all, parliament is supposed to be sovereign. So why does it allow the government, a supposedly subordinate body, to set its agenda?

To unravel this, Prof Alan Renwick is joined by Dr Tom Fleming, Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics at UCL and a member of the UCL Constitution Unit.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Fleming, Thomas G., Simon Hix and Radoslaw Zubek. 2024. “ The Origins of Centralized Agenda Control at Westminster: Consensus or Controversy?” Legislative Studies Quarterly
• The controversial origins of centralised agenda control at Westminster. Constitution Unit Blog

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

The Labour government has committed to lowering the voting age for Westminster elections from 18 to 16. This proposal raises a number of questions for policymakers to consider. What might be the consequences of widening the franchise in this way? What practical steps will be required to implement this change and – just as importantly – to ensure it works well? In particular, how might teaching about politics in schools need to change? And what can be learned from other elections, in the UK and beyond, in which 16 and 17 year olds are able to vote? An expert panel discusses these questions.

Speakers:

• Liz Moorse – CEO of the Association for Citizenship Teaching
• Dr Christine Huebner – Lecturer in Quantitative Social Sciences, University of Sheffield
• Marcus Flucker – Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament for Angus South

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

This year’s UK general election saw a range of concerns about the quality of election discourse. Alongside evidence of many candidates facing abuse and intimidation, the campaign also saw the spread – particularly online – of misinformation and disinformation. Meanwhile, Labour and the Conservatives were accused of a ‘conspiracy of silence’ about the costing of party manifesto pledges, and voters faced difficulties knowing where to turn for trustworthy sources of information.

These challenges all threaten to undermine the UK’s democratic process. So how can they be tackled? This webinar will bring together experts from the Electoral Commission, Full Fact, and the Jo Cox Civility Commission to discuss options for practical solutions.

Speakers:

• Michela Palese – Head of Policy, Electoral Commission
• Chris Morris – CEO, Full Fact
• Hannah Phillips – Manager, Jo Cox Civility Commission

Chair: Professor Alan Renwick – Deputy Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

Opposition parties play a crucial role in parliamentary democracy, scrutinising the government and putting forward alternative policies. But what makes opposition parties effective, both inside parliament and beyond? As the Conservative Party announced its new leader, this expert panel with first-hand experience of life in opposition discussed the task facing them and the other opposition parties.

Speakers:

• Baroness (Kate) Fall – former Deputy Chief of Staff to David Cameron, and Conservative peer
• Professor Marc Stears – former chief speechwriter to the Labour Party, and Director of the UCL Policy Lab
• Dr Nigel Fletcher – co-founder of the Centre for Opposition Studies

Chair: Professor Meg Russell – Director of the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com

This autumn the House of Commons has elected a raft of new select committee chairs who will play an important role in holding the government to account over the coming years. But there are many ways to chair a select committee, and new chairs will need to think carefully about what they want to achieve and how to go about it.

This webinar brings together three senior former MPs and select committee chairs to discuss their experiences, and their reflections on how to use the role most effectively.

Speakers:

• Baroness (Margaret) Hodge of Barking – former chair of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, Labour peer, and former Labour MP
• Sir Charles Walker – former chair of the House of Commons Procedure Committee and Administration Committee, and former Conservative MP
• Joanna Cherry KC – former chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights and former SNP MP

Chair: Lisa James – Senior Research Fellow at the Constitution Unit

Links:

Website: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit

Mailing list: www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/get-involved/mailing-list

Blog: constitution-unit.com