Are UK elections under threat? A conversation with the chair of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger

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Are UK elections under threat? A conversation with the chair of the Electoral Commission, John Pullinger - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 123

9 Jan 2026

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With the Government investigating allegations of foreign influence in British politics, we are joined by John Pullinger, Chair of the Electoral Commission, to take stock of the health and resilience of the UK’s electoral system. Our discussion ranges widely over the pressures facing elections and campaigning today, and what issues Parliament may need to grapple with in a future elections bill.

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A major theme of this episode is political finance and the extent to which current rules are fit for purpose. We explore concerns about the risk of foreign money entering UK politics, the role of large donations, company funding and unincorporated associations, and the growing difficulty of tracing money in a digital age. We also discuss whether capping donations is realistic, and how reforms can restore public confidence without creating new loopholes or partisan flashpoints.

Participation and engagement are another key focus. With millions missing from the electoral register and turnout at historically low levels, we discuss the barriers facing groups such as young people, private renters and disabled voters, and whether better civic education and democratic literacy could help reverse long-term disengagement – while staying firmly politically neutral.

We also look at the increasingly hostile climate in which candidates campaign, including harassment, intimidation and online abuse. We consider where responsibility lies between social media platforms, political parties and the police, and whether stronger standards and enforcement are needed. Linked to this are wider concerns about misinformation, deepfakes and digital campaigning, and how online activity is blurring traditional lines in election spending rules.

Finally, the conversation turns to election security and foreign interference, the independence of the Electoral Commission, and practical challenges such as postponed local elections and the growing pressures on electoral administrators. Together, these themes underline the scale of the challenges facing UK democracy – and the difficult choices involved in tackling them.

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Our guest

John Pullinger CB

John Pullinger CB

John Pullinger has been the Chair of the Electoral Commission since 2021. He began his career in the civil service as a statistician. In 1992 he became Director of Policy and Planning at the Central Statistical Office, helping to found its successor, the Office for National Statistics (ONS). From 2004 he went to work for Parliament as the Librarian of the House of Commons, the 14th holder of that post, and Director General of Information Services, responsible for broadening the range of information and research services available to MPs. He was appointed President of the Royal Statistical Society in 2013 and in 2014 he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath for services to Parliament and the community. He returned to the ONS as its head, the UK National Statistician and in 2019 became President of the International Association for Official Statistics. His appointment as Chair of the Electoral Commission was renewed in 2025 for a further four year term.

Resources

The Electoral Commission

Statement in response to the proposed cancellation of local elections, 19 December 2025
Political finance briefing
Submission to the Speaker's Conference regarding the Commission's work on candidate safety and security

Transcript

Please note, this transcript is automatically generated. There may consequently be minor errors and the text is not formatted according to our style guide. If you wish to reference or cite the transcript copy below, please first check against the audio version above.

Intro: [00:00:00] You are listening to Parliament Matters, a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Learn more at hansardsociety.org.uk/pm

Ruth Fox: Welcome to Parliament Matters, the podcast about the institution at the heart of our democracy, Parliament itself. I'm Ruth Fox.

Mark D'Arcy: And I'm Mark D'Arcy. And with the Government launching an investigation into foreign Russian influence into British politics, we thought it was a good moment to talk to John Pullinger, the Chair of the Electoral Commission.

Ruth Fox: There are all sorts of concerns about the security and integrity of our electoral system, the dangers of mega donations, and intimidation of MPs and candidates, both real world and online.

Mark D'Arcy: John Pullinger, welcome to the pod, first of all. And there's an elections bill of some kind coming up , perhaps [00:01:00] in the King's Speech, perhaps before, we don't quite know yet. What would you, as the head of Britain's election watchdog, like to see in it? What are the big holes in our electoral system that need plugging?

John Pullinger: Well, the first thing to say is that electoral law is out of date, overcomplicated and inconsistent. So it does need pulling together and really sorting out. It's developed over generations to what it is now, but what we are particularly looking for, there are undoubtedly loopholes in the current system around the risk of foreign money coming into politics. Full transcript →

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