Citizen Engagement in Politics

Experts from the world of politics and civil society will ponder the state of citizen engagement in British democracy and ways to improve it

The past decade has witnessed significant turbulence in British politics, with issues such as Brexit, Scottish independence, austerity and, now, restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic dividing society and leading to a decline in public trust in Britain’s democratic institutions.

This, in turn, has led many to question what can be done to restore such trust and enhance the way in which the public engage with politics. Indeed, following the 2019 general election, the Conservative government committed to establishing a “Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission”, whose task will be to establish “proposals to restore trust in our institutions and in how our democracy operates”.

In this SPE Practitioner Series event – hosted with the Centre for British Politics and Government – various experts from the world of politics and civil society will discuss the discuss the current state of citizen engagement in British democracy and potential ways to improve and encourage this further, such as through the use of citizens’ conventions and other participatory, deliberative methods.

*Please note: joining instructions will be sent near to the advertised date*

PANEL

• Miriam Levin (Programme Director, Engage Britain)

• Graham Allen (Convener of the Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy, Visiting Professor of Politics at King’s College London and former MP for Nottingham North, 1987-2017)

• Ryan Shorthouse (Founder and Chief Executive, Bright Blue)

• Sarah Foxen (Knowledge Exchange Lead, UK Parliament)

Panellists Graham Allen, Miriam Levin and Ryan Shorthouse are all members of the Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy Advisory Board. For more information on the Citizens’ Convention project, please see here.