We are facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix one of the most corrosive gaps in our democracy: the absence of rules governing disinformation and transparency and factual accuracy in election advertising. After eight years of campaigning, the ingredients for change are finally in place. MPs are putting forward amendments to the Representation of the People Bill. Public support is overwhelming. The evidence is clear. The need is urgent. What we now need is for the Government to act.
The 7th May elections have showed, in stark terms, how politics and campaigning are changing. Vote shares are fragmenting, contests are being decided by tiny margins, and misleading campaign material can now make the difference between winning and losing. Campaigning is also moving from the digital era into the AI era, where false claims, deepfakes and disguised political advertising can be created faster, cheaper and at greater scale than ever before.
This progress update sets out the case we have made to Parliament. It explains why factual claims in election advertising must be accurate, why voters must know who is behind the material they see, and why dark advertising and deceptive AI-generated content cannot be left outside the rules. This is not about limiting political debate, argument or opinion. It is about ensuring that voters are not misled by false factual claims at the very moment they are making democratic choices.
How the Government now decides to act on these issues matters. To act would be to strengthen trust, transparency and accountability in our elections. To fail to act would be a historic missed opportunity, with consequences for our democracy that will be felt well beyond this Parliament.
Download the full progress update to read the evidence, see the examples, and understand why this moment must not be wasted.
