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Boris Johnson accused of ‘appalling’ attack on election watchdog

Exclusive: Former electoral commissioner David Howarth says UK government's new Elections bill is a sop to Brexiters that poses ‘serious threats’ to the fairness of future votes

By Martin Williams
Boris Johnson accused of ‘appalling’ attack on election watchdog
Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab visiting the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Crisis Centre in Whitehall, London, | PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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A former UK electoral commissioner has condemned the UK government’s “appalling” plan to restrict the independence of the elections watchdog.

Writing for openDemocracy, David Howarth said the Elections bill poses “serious threats to the fairness of all future elections in Britain”.

He added that "many Conservative backbenchers have been gunning for the Electoral Commission ever since it made various decisions they didn’t like in the aftermath of the Brexit campaign."

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