Sir Keir Starmer’s new ethics tsar has criticised ministers for failing to give up “inappropriate” powers to influence the independent elections watchdog.
In a letter to democracy minister Rushanara Ali, Doug Chalmers objected to the Government’s plans to issue a new “strategy and policy statement” for the Electoral Commission.
The statement would replace one issued by the previous Conservative government and set out priorities for the Electoral Commission to follow.
But Mr Chalmers, who is set to lead the new Ethics and Integrity Commission, said it was “inappropriate for the government of the day to seek to guide the work of the independent electoral commission”.
He added: “This is a matter we raised with the previous government and continue to believe is an important point of principle.”
A Government spokesperson denied the claims and insisted the Electoral Commission will remain operationally independent.
Mr Chalmers, a former Army officer, currently chairs the Committee on Standards in Public Life, which is due to be given a new, expanded role as the Ethics and Integrity Commission promised in Labour’s 2024 manifesto.
His letter, published on Wednesday, came in response to the Government’s elections strategy released last month, which included plans to lower the voting age to 16 and tighten up rules on political donations.
In that strategy, the Government said it would “designate a new strategy and policy statement for the Electoral Commission” in light of the watchdog’s “significant new powers and responsibilities”.
The use of a strategy and policy statement to guide the Electoral Commission’s work has proved controversial since it was first proposed in 2021, with Labour figures in opposition saying it set “a dangerous precedent”.
The commission itself has also consistently opposed the principle of a strategy and policy statement.
Last month, Electoral Commission chairman John Pullinger said: “The independence and impartiality of an electoral commission must be clear for voters and campaigners to see, and this form of influence from a government is inconsistent with that role.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the department would be responding to Mr Chalmers’ letter.
It said: “We reject these claims. The Electoral Commission will remain operationally independent and we continue to support it to act without fear or favour.
“This Government was elected on a manifesto to strengthen and protect Britain’s democracy and that’s why our ambitious elections strategy will give the Electoral Commission significant new powers and responsibilities to stamp out foreign interference and uphold donation rules.”
