It’s been seven years since the House of Commons last marked the International Day of Democracy. In that time, the world has changed.

At home and abroad, democracy is under threat. Its foundations are being slowly chipped away sometimes by brute force, sometimes by complacency, sometimes intentionally.

In the UK, we have seen parliament unlawfully prorogued to push through a partisan agenda, restrictions placed on voting rights, and even a prime minister who broke the very lockdown rules he imposed on the rest of the country. These are not minor missteps. They are breaches of public trust that corrode faith in the democratic process.

Meanwhile, internationally, democracy is not simply in retreat it is under assault. The past year alone saw further democratic backsliding in dozens

See Full Page