Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Conclusion 13
2nd Report – Review of the 2024 general election
Published 22 Jul 2025
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Review of the 2024 general election All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We are however concerned that the Government has not put in motion the work necessary to simplify and consolidate electoral law. It is clear to us that the conclusion of the Law Commissions’ report was correct, and that the UK would be better off with a single elections act. We note the Government’s concern that the exercise of simplification and consolidation may take some time, which would likely span over Parliaments. However, it seems imperative to us that this work is started. If it is not started in this Parliament, it will only perpetuate the problem of kicking the issue of electoral law into the long grass. We fear that the longer this is put off, the more likely something will go seriously or catastrophically wrong. (Conclusion, Paragraph 46)
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, 2nd Report – Review of the 2024 general election (HC 487), 22 July 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 October 2025 (deadline 22 September 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government's response supports some of the Committee's principles and agrees with some recommendations, but declines or does not consider necessary several others, citing the independence of Returning Officers, cost and the priority of manifesto commitments.
- On consolidating electoral law, the Government says major reform "would require careful consideration and an extensive amount of time" and "would be the job of more than one Parliament", and says it is focused on its manifesto agenda.
- On voter ID, it agrees with the recommendation on digital IDs and intends to create a digital VAC, and will amend legislation to permit UK-issued bank cards as accepted voter identification in Great Britain.
- On postal voting, it considers printing ballot packs on a rolling basis "impractical", and says first-class postage for poll cards would cost about £52 million for a UK Parliamentary election, which it would not consider "a viable option" at this time.
- On the Electoral Commission, the Government has "no plans to establish an independent review" of its powers, but intends reforms including raising its maximum fine to £500,000 and extending its civil sanctioning powers to political finance offences by candidates, local third parties and recall petition campaigners.