Ed Davey at the IfG: We need to save our democracy from tech tyrants and populists
EMBARGO: Immediate Release
In a speech at the Institute for Government this afternoon, the Liberal Democrat Leader challenged the incoming Prime Minister to immediately introduce proportional representation and said that our country needs a ‘new Magna Carta’ to protect British rights from populists and tech tyrants.
Ed Davey said that Britain's broken and unstable political system is the fundamental failure of Westminster – underpinning the crisis in the NHS, sewage pollution in our rivers, and the rise of divisive populism.
Davey set out his party’s plan to return power to the people and argued that British democracy cannot bear another general election under a broken voting system. He warns that a modern written constitution is urgently needed to protect fundamental British rights from populist authoritarians and tech tyrants.
On the current scandals engulfing Nigel Farage, Ed Davey said:
“In classic Trumpian distraction politics, he resigned to wage a pointless by-election campaign – though now finds his opposition is a very eloquent rubbish bin.
“Indeed last week, I was asked by a journalist if I would endorse Count Binface.I replied that I take elections too seriously to back a joke candidate with ridiculous policies. So of course I hope Binface beats him.
“But in truth, the problems we face with our politics go much deeper than the corruption and chaos perpetuated by certain individuals or parties. It’s the failure of the whole broken political system.
“A political system that leaves millions feeling powerless and excluded. That concentrates too much power in the wrong hands. In Westminster, in Whitehall, and in big multinational companies. A system that makes it impossible for people to hold those abusing their power properly to account.”
On the need for a new British constitution, Davey said:
“I believe our country needs a new Magna Carta moment for the twenty-first century. A written constitution to protect our hard-won British rights and freedoms. Enshrining the European Convention on Human Rights – a proud British creation. And once, a proud Conservative creation.
“Isn’t it extraordinary that Kemi Badenoch now says no one who supports the ECHR can stand for the Conservative Party? Isn’t it extraordinary that, if Winston Churchill were alive today, his support for the ECHR would bar him from standing for the Tories?
“So we need a written constitution to protect those fundamental British rights from those who would destroy them – whether it’s Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage or Elon Musk.
“A new Magna Carta must be fit for our times. Eight hundred years ago, Magna Carta was about reining in the power of a tyrant king. Now, the challenge is reining in the power of tech tyrants.”
Please see Ed Davey’s full speech below.
Good afternoon.
Thank you very much Hannah for that introduction. Thank you and your team at the IfG for inviting me here today.
It feels particularly important to be talking to you now about how we can fix British politics.
Partly because our politics seems especially broken now, as the last decade of chaos and instability continues.
But partly also because I think we have the best chance we’ve had in my lifetime actually to fix it.
So today I want to set out what I think is needed – both to meet the enormous challenge of this moment, and to seize the opportunity for change.
And let me start by saying this:
If Andy Burnham is serious about changing the way we do politics –
About ending the performative hostility –
And, instead, working across Parliament to meet the challenges we face –
If he is serious, then my door is open.
Not least to discuss the ideas in this speech.
But first – let’s look at what is broken.
We’re about to have our seventh Prime Minister in ten years.
Our ninth Chancellor.
In the last decade we’ve already had nine Home Secretaries. Nine Health Secretaries. Ten Education Secretaries.
This political instability is a disaster for government.
Desperately needed reforms never get seen through.
Change starts, then stops. Then starts again, but in another direction.
That’s a disaster for our economy, a disaster for our public services, and a disaster for people.
No wonder public trust in politics is lower than ever – worse even than at the height of the MP expenses scandal. No wonder parts of society have turned to the easy messages of populism for an answer.
And let’s face it. Nigel Farage has built himself up by pretending to be the solution.
That was always nonsense – and hopefully more people are now seeing that he and his party are actually making things worse.
With not one police investigation but two.
Farage under investigation for a secret five-million-pound donation from a Thai-based crypto billionaire.
And facing more questions about separate donations from a convicted fraudster.
In classic Trumpian distraction politics, he resigned to wage a pointless by-election campaign – though now finds his opposition is a very eloquent rubbish bin.
Indeed last week, I was asked by a journalist if I would endorse Count Binface.
I replied that I take elections too seriously to back a joke candidate with ridiculous policies.
So of course I hope Binface beats him.
But in truth, the problems we face with our politics go much deeper than the corruption and chaos perpetuated by certain individuals or parties.
It’s the failure of the whole broken political system.
A political system that leaves millions feeling powerless and excluded.
That concentrates too much power in the wrong hands.
In Westminster, in Whitehall, and in big multinational companies.
A system that makes it impossible for people to hold those abusing their power properly to account.
A system that rewards short-term self-interest at the expense of actual longer-term solutions.
A system that has long needed to change, but which now so clearly needs urgent change – if our democracy itself is to resist a descent into Trump-style authoritarianism.
And let’s remember why this really matters to people across our country.
Our broken political system is the reason why so much in our country isn’t working the way it should –
And why it never seems to get fixed.
It’s why water companies are getting away with polluting our environment with their filthy sewage.
Why the biggest banks and fossil fuel companies make record profits while everyone else struggles.
It’s why the social care crisis never gets fixed and the NHS suffers as a result.
Why we can’t build the affordable homes we need, in the places that people need them.
Why our immigration system is such a mess.
Why our relationship with Europe is so badly broken.
In other words, changing our politics is not some nerdy obsession of political anoraks.
How we do politics really matters for solving the problems that ordinary people face every day.
It can no longer be ignored.
So when we talk about growing the economy and ending the cost-of-living crisis, we also have to talk about changing our politics.
When we talk about fixing the NHS and giving patients the care they need, we also have to talk about changing our politics.
When we talk about protecting our environment, or giving opportunity to young people, or rewarding aspiration – we also have to talk about changing our politics.
Because the best way to make any of those things happen is to put real power in people’s hands – to empower people – whilst we hold the already powerful properly to account.
So now that I’ve talked about the need for change, let me talk about the opportunity.
First – and most importantly – the public will is on our side.
As the British Social Attitudes survey shows, the majority of people now support changing our electoral system.
They can see it’s not working. It makes them feel powerless. And they want change now.
And people want more community control over local services too.
They overwhelmingly support shifting power away from central government and into the hands of those who use services or are directly affected by them.
And now we have a Prime Minister coming into Downing Street next week, who has spoken passionately about both of those things.
But Andy Burnham won’t be the first person to walk into Number Ten having promised big change.
And if he fails to deliver, he wouldn’t be the first to let people down.
But I sincerely hope he will deliver it.
I really hope he won’t follow Keir Starmer down the depressing path of disappointment.
I hope he will show the ambition and urgency that this moment demands.
And I hope he will show the courage to seize the opportunity now before us.
So my challenge to Andy Burnham – as he makes the critical decision about what kind of Prime Minister he wants to be – is this:
Be bold. Be brave.
Fix the broken electoral system by introducing proportional representation.
To give everyone an equal vote and an equal voice in our democracy.
And make sure no politician or political party can afford to take them for granted.
And do it now.
Don’t wait until it is too late.
Don’t wait until after the next election – when you might be powerless to do anything about it.
Because I fear that – with so many people already so angry and disillusioned –
With the political landscape already so fractured and chaotic –
And with people having already seen their votes wasted, and seen a new party come to power but nothing really changing –
I fear that our democracy simply cannot bear another general election under our broken voting system.
Kicking the can down the road again would be a terrible mistake.
And Andy Burnham, don’t listen to the voices in the Labour Party who have always opposed PR.
They said it would split the Labour Party. With the Corbynista Greens, it has split under First Past the Post already.
They said it would let the far right in. But it’s now crystal clear, First Past the Post risks putting Farage into Number Ten. On less than a third of the vote.
Those old Labour arguments against PR were always wrong. Now they are wrong in plain sight.
But Andy, if you act now, just think what a legacy you could leave.
Whatever else happens, you could be the Prime Minister who history remembers for finally tearing down the travesty of First Past the Post.
And replacing it with a system that delivers on the promise of our democracy:
Everyone’s votes counting equally. No matter who they are or where they live.
What a legacy that could be.
But of course it’s not just voting reform, crucial though that is. Let me turn to devolution.
Something there is no doubt that Andy Burnham believes in and is committed to delivering.
The over-centralisation in the UK is a major flaw in our political system.
But there is a right way to do devolution – and a wrong way.
And too often, we’ve seen governments do it the wrong way.
Top-down reorganisations drawn up in Whitehall –
Councils merged, abolished and rearranged to fit a national agenda –
Not because it is what local communities want or what they need.
But because people in Westminster and Whitehall have abused their power.
It’s what we’re seeing now, in Labour’s latest reorganisation of local government. For too many communities across England, it simply won’t work.
No matter how well the mayoral model might work in places like Manchester, imposing it on communities that do not want it is doomed to fail.
It is just another example of councils and communities having things done to them, instead of being empowered to do things for themselves.
The right way to do devolution is by working together with local communities and councils, residents and businesses –
Giving them a real and meaningful say over how their areas are run.
Local areas should be invited to secure a devolution deal that works for them, their services and their economies.
So I hope Andy Burnham will listen to us and do devolution the right way.
If he does, Liberal Democrats across the country will help make a success of it.
Proportional representation and devolution.
These are two big, critical ways to change politics so we can fix our country.
But there are many more changes to our political system that we need.
Taking big money out of politics – by capping donations.
Reforming the House of Lords – with a proper democratic mandate.
Strengthening Parliament so it can hold governments properly to account – especially on public spending. We simply have to change the way Budgets are developed and scrutinised, so Parliament can do its job again.
But if we are to truly fix and transform Britain’s political system, if we are to end the sense of powerlessness millions feel, it will take something even bigger than all that.
I believe our country needs a new Magna Carta moment for the twenty-first century.
A written constitution to protect our hard-won British rights and freedoms.
Enshrining the European Convention on Human Rights – a proud British creation. And once, a proud Conservative creation.
Isn’t it extraordinary that Kemi Badenoch now says no one who supports the ECHR can stand for the Conservative Party?
Isn’t it extraordinary that, if Winston Churchill were alive today, his support for the ECHR would bar him from standing for the Tories?
So we need a written constitution to protect those fundamental British rights from those who would destroy them – whether it’s Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage or Elon Musk.
A new Magna Carta must be fit for our times.
Eight hundred years ago, Magna Carta was about reining in the power of a tyrant king. Now, the challenge is reining in the power of tech tyrants.
After all, we are rightly pushing for a cap on political donations – and Reform’s many scandals show how badly that’s needed.
But how do you deal with Elon Musk donating the power of his multi-billion-dollar platform every time he retweets Rupert Lowe?
Or more insidiously, every time his algorithm boosts fake news that pushes voters towards Reform?
These are not easy questions, but there is no doubt in my mind that we are going to need tough new rules to answer them.
But more than that, the process of writing a new Magna Carta would involve the British people in answering that fundamental question of power and powerlessness.
It would give them a say – and, crucially, a sense of ownership – not just over who sits in power, but where power sits.
And I think that could be truly transformational.
We have a broken system. We have, perhaps for the first time in our lifetimes, a real chance to fix it.
And our party will do everything we can to finally put real power in the hands of the people.
Thank you.
ENDS
