The Representation of the People Bill does not protect UK democracy from misinformation

The Government has published the Elections Bill, now known as the Representation of the People Bill.

The Bill includes proposals to introduce votes at 16, as well as changes to voter registration, political expenditure and donations. But it does little to protect democracy from misinformation and disinformation in elections, despite the government recognising the risks.

In its July 2025 policy paper, setting out its strategy for modern and secure elections, the government recognised that, “Our own democracy is being threatened by misinformation”. Days later, Keir Starmer told a Parliamentary committee that he was “very worried” about the potential for misinformation in future elections.

The policy paper also highlighted the need to “guard newly enfranchised young people against the potential effects of online mis- and disinformation”. Recent research by Full Fact and Internet Matters underlines the urgency, with half of 13-17-year-olds confident they could distinguish true political information from false.

Full Fact’s new briefing sets out how the Bill could strengthen the foundations of UK democracy, tackle misinformation and disinformation in elections, and help to restore trust in politics.

Full Fact is calling for the Bill to include the following package of measures:

1. An upgraded Online Safety Act that safeguards the UK’s democracy.
2. Stronger rules and regulations to deal with political deepfakes.
3. A comprehensive, centralised publicly accessible library of political adverts.
4. A regulatory framework to prevent misinformation and disinformation in political adverts.
5. Transparent and accountable systems for dealing with electoral information incidents.
6. Increased investigative powers for the Electoral Commission.
7. A statutory duty for platforms to support effective media and political literacy.

Together, these reforms would modernise the UK’s electoral framework for the digital age – strengthening transparency, clarifying legal protections, empowering voters and ensuring robust, independent oversight.

The Bill's passage through Parliament

The Bill has already had its first reading in the House of Commons, introducing the legislation. Second reading is scheduled for Monday 2nd March, when MPs will have their first opportunity to speak about their concerns and priorities for the Bill. This will not change the text of the Bill, but signals the appetite in Parliament for strengthening the legislation, and shapes the scrutiny that follows.

This is an opportunity to ensure the Bill meets its stated aim of restoring trust and strengthening the integrity of UK democracy. As the Bill progresses, Full Fact will be working to turn our proposals into reality. We will be briefing MPs about our proposals in the following weeks, and working with MPs from all parties to table amendments and build momentum around our calls.