Parliament and the government must urgently explore options for online scrutiny and voting

The coronavirus pandemic requires urgent co-operation between the government and parliament to allow essential scrutiny and voting to be conducted remotely, says a new paper by the Institute for Government.

Published today, How could a virtual parliament work? also calls on the government to legislate only where necessary while parliamentarians are unable to carry out business as usual, and for opposition parties and backbench MPs to call votes on only the most important issues.

The paper recommends that:

• Parliamentarians embrace video-links and speaking lists to allow necessary business to continue ‘virtually’ in the chamber and select committees.
• Proxy voting – already available to MPs on parental leave – should be expanded to reduce the need to travel to Westminster.
• The government facilitates more scrutiny of its response to Covid-19 by negotiating with opposition parties to re-establish the Liaison Committee, or by creating a new body similar to New Zealand’s Epidemic Response Committee.
• Methods for digital voting, as used in other legislatures, are urgently explored.

Hannah White, the IfG’s deputy director and the author of the report, said:

“At this time of national crisis, parliament is central to ensuring that government continues to function and maintains public trust. Parliament must innovate to ensure it can continue operating – and be seen to do so – while protecting the health of MPs, peers and staff. That should include exploring options for the introduction of digital voting.”

Notes to editors

1. The Institute for Government is an independent think tank that works to make government more effective.
2. For more information, including data to reproduce any charts, please contact press@instituteforgovernment.org.uk / 0785 031 3791.