Opposition day debate on individual voter registration
17 January 2012 (updated on 17 January 2012)
Shadow Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Sadiq Khan, moved an Opposition debate in the House of Commons on Monday 16 January on the subject of individual voter registration
Individual voter registration
The motion in the name of Sadiq Khan, stated that "the shift to individual registration is the biggest change to electoral matters since the introduction of the universal franchise" and called on the government to "reconsider its current proposals that will lead to large-scale under-registration."
The debate follows the publication of the Political and Consitutional Reform Committee's tenth report into Individual Electorial Registration and Electoral Administration.
- Political and Consitutional Reform Committee: Tenth Report, Individual Electoral Registration and Electoral Administration, Volume I
- Political and Consitutional Reform Committee: Tenth Report, Individual Electoral Registration and Electoral Administration, Volume II
Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, David Heath, responded on behalf of the Government. The House divided (voted) and the motion was negatived on division (Ayes: 234, Noes: 321).
Watch and read the views expressed by MPs during the debate on Parliament TV and in Commons Hansard.
- Parliament TV: Opposition debate on individual voter registration
- Commons Hansard: Opposition debate on individual voter registration
- Topics: Elections
Opposition day debates
Opposition days are days allocated in the House of Commons in each session for the discussion of subjects chosen by the Opposition. Seventeen days are at the disposal of the leader of the largest opposition party to decide which topics are debated. Three days are also allocated to the other smaller opposition parties.
The Opposition generally use them to raise questions of policy and administration. Frequently, two separate subjects are debated on an opposition day.