Representation of the People Bill

I recently spoke in the Commons debate on the Representation of the People Bill, which aims to modernise and strengthen our democratic system. I welcome several of its proposals, including lowering the voting age to 16, giving around 1.7 million young people a voice in decisions that shape their futures. From visiting schools across Guildford, I know how engaged and thoughtful young people are, and I believe they are ready to participate fully in our democracy.

The Bill also includes important measures to protect elections from abuse and intimidation, addressing the rise in harassment faced by those standing for public office. Strengthening protections for candidates and tackling opaque or foreign funding will help safeguard the integrity of our system.

I am pleased to have been appointed to the Bill Committee, where I will scrutinise the legislation line by line and work constructively with colleagues to ensure it genuinely improves our democracy and makes standing for public office safer and more accessible.