Power Inquiry

This widely shared concern over declining electoral turnout served as the starting point for a broader investigation into the health of the connections between the public and the political process.

Helena Kennedy, Chair of the Inquiry, challenged politicians to, "rise above their party ranks and start treating democratic reform as a non-partisan necessity, not a political toy".

Oliver Heald, Shadow Constitutional Affairs secretary for the Conservative Party, welcomed the call to give more power to MPs, but opposed the plan to drop the voting age to 16.

The Acting President of the Liberal Democrats, Simon Hughes, welcomed the report, saying "British democracy is in crisis whatever the Government pretends - most voters are ignored and most people feel they have no influence".

[3] Many questions were asked of all the speakers by those attending the conference, and a lively debate took place over issues such as proportional representation for general elections and direct democracy initiatives such as referendums.