The Proposal to the Prime Minister

At the Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy (CCUKDemocracy) we have been working since 2015 to match our wish to meaningfully engage citizens in the development of their democracy to the reality of current circumstances and the needs of an effective partnership with our elected representatives and Government. We are not interested in providing yet another report - even one from a Citizens’ Convention - which goes nowhere, sits on a shelf and has no practical outcomes delivered by political partners.

Our Proposal outlines in detail how the Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy could work alongside the Government with or without an intermediary Commission on the Constitution, Democracy and Rights. Its intention is to initiate a process of mature negotiation which will result in enabling citizens to have the measured, practical input that a modern democracy would expect them to have on such fundamental questions.

We are pleased to announce that the Proposal has now been submitted both to the Prime Minister and to Michael Gove, the relevant Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office. The full document, and a summary, are now publicly accessible and can be read in full via the links below.

This is an exciting time for the CCUKDemocracy and for deliberative democracy in general. We have continued to raise awareness of the Proposal and build political support. For example, on this page you can also see the CCUKDemocracy Director and Convenor giving evidence to Parliament’s Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC). You can also look at our proposed timetable and view a recent panel event on the prospect of a Citizens’ Convention hosted by King’s College London. Similarly, the challenges to democracy continue to grow, as this year’s insurrection at the US Capitol building exemplifies.

READ HERE: The Proposal and Summary

The Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy’s Proposal to the Prime Minister is not a set of demands or a “take it or leave it” offer, it puts forward a basis for negotiation on how to engage UK citizens in the discussion of their own democracy, which will then feed back to Government and Parliament.

The full Proposal document can be read by clicking here. We have also produced a summary of our plan, which includes the timetable below, and can be accessed by clicking here.

We will continue to engage at political and civil service level, willingly honing and developing the Proposal. We look forward in the fullness of time to this or a future Government’s reply and to citizens and their elected representatives working together in productive partnership to revitalise our democracy.

WATCH HERE: CCUKDemocracy gives evidence to Parliament

Every one of our representatives in Parliament was sent the full version of our Proposal underlining the partnership we have built with our elected MPs. The UK Parliament’s central importance to this process was further underlined when on October 5th 2020, a matter of days after the Proposal went to the Prime Minister, it was submitted by the CCUKDemocracy as evidence to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee’s (PACAC) inquiry into the Commission on the Constitution, Democracy and Rights. Oral evidence was given to the Parliamentary Select Committee by the Director and the Convenor of the CCUKDemocracy. This session is available here to view in full.

SEE HERE: Timetable

The CCUKDemocracy has put forward the following illustrative and negotiable timetable, included in our Proposal document, for engagement between the Citizens’ Convention and the Government (including the Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission, or any other intermediary it so chooses).

SEMINARS

The efforts to engage all those who care about citizens’ engagement in our democracy will continue. One recent example is the online seminar organised by our keystone partner King’s College London.

Two members of the CCUKDemocracy Board, Dr Ceri Davies and Graham Allen, joined other experts to answer questions on the process so far.

You can read a summary of the event and watch the full video of the discussion here.

If you would like to organise something similar or come to future evens we’d be delighted to hear from you.

Perhaps our most important seminar is our proposal to Government for CCUKDemocracy to fund from our resources and convene a private two day seminar for Government Ministers and officials with our global experts in deliberation to shape an acceptable proposal to take forward.

This offer remains on the table awaiting the appropriate political climate.