First - some good news for your Saturday inbox.
Not only has the government confirmed its commitment to votes for 16 and 17 year olds, but it has also announced it will move ahead with automatic voter registration. This change will make it significantly easier for people facing disadvantage—low-income households, those in precarious housing, people without standard ID—to have their voices heard in our democracy. That is compassion in action.
That’s a campaign win for Compassion in Politics and the coalition of campaign groups we have been working with to improve democracy in the UK. So a huge thank you from us - to you - for your support in helping to achieve this major milestone.
At a time when so much on the political and global landscape is unremittingly negative it is important to celebrate progress when it happens and the fresh energy it brings.
However, there was a glaring omission from the governments’ plans. It has made no provision to tackle deliberate political deception by politicians and candidates.
Whilst the government acknowledges that lying is a major issue and that it reduces voters’ trust in democracy but it is so far failing to adopt the measure that could change all that.
Thanks to your support, our campaign to introduce a law against deliberate deception is now being adopted in Wales. It would disqualify any candidate or politician who deliberately seeks to deceive the public.
We have seen how the lack of safeguards to prevent deception by candidates and elected leaders has played out in the USA. We are also living with the economic and social consequences of the lies that were told during the Brexit Campaign.
If this law had been in force in the United States, it would have changed everything.
So the next frontier of our work is one of the most urgent yet: to persuade the government to act on political deception before it is too late.
Trust in democracy cannot survive when dishonesty by politicians themselves goes unchallenged. Learn more.
With the far right on the rise, the government cannot afford not to act.
We have today written to the government pointing out the dangers of not acting. In September, we will be launching a major campaign in Westminster and across the country to win parliamentary support to drive the measure forward.
The government has an Elections Bill in its legislative agenda that could easily be amended to include this measure. If we all work together, we can make this happen.
How you can stand with us now
Not a member yet? We’d love for you to consider joining us. A monthly membership is more than a donation—it’s a commitment to a vision of politics where empathy, honesty, and dignity aren’t optional.
- It gives us the resources to build cross‑party alliances, from grassroots to the Commons, nudging MPs to truly listen and act.
- It funds research and campaigns—like the Truth in Politics initiative—that hold politicians to account.
- And it reminds everyone in the halls of power: compassionate democracy has support—and it’s growing.
→ Join Compassion in Politics as a monthly member
Thank you for your enduring belief in a politics rooted in humanity. Together, this success is just the beginning. Let’s build it forward—one compassionate step at a time.
Warmly,
The Compassion in Politics Team
(Image from Number 10)