Andy Burnham urged to introduce compulsory voting rule

Lord Neil Kinnock, a former Labour leader, has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce mandatory voting, warning that declining turnout risks "distorted" election outcomes and erodes public accountability.

He said the policy would strengthen democracy and reduce disengagement, with support from senior peers for proposed legislation to make voting a legal requirement.

Lord Kinnock said: "I lived for 10 years in Belgium and saw compulsory voting in practice.

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"The high turnouts and extent of engagement in the democratic process strongly assists democracy in a country with complex ethnic and political arrangements.

"When turnouts have fallen for various negative reasons, election results are consequently distorted, accountability can be diminished and disengagement from community obligations becomes habitual.

"Compulsion to use, or even to attend and abstain, is now increasingly justified and necessary."

He pointed to Belgium and Australia as examples where mandatory voting has led to higher engagement.

Australia recorded around a 91% turnout in its 2025 federal election, compared to just 60% in the UK’s 2024 general election.

Baroness Jan Royall announced this week that she will propose a compulsory voting amendment to the Government’s Representation of the People Bill.

The amendment, expected to include a £10 fine for not voting, would apply to all eligible citizens, with exemptions for those unable to participate due to disability, illness, or absence from the UK.

Lord George Foulkes, a former minister, said the change would be supported by Lord Kinnock and former home secretary Lord David Blunkett, who has been a long-time mentor to Mr Burnham.

Mr Burnham has previously indicated he would not "rule out" compulsory voting, stating in 2012 that turnout was "getting too low to ignore."

Baroness Taylor, a Government minister, told the House of Lords earlier this month that the Government’s focus remains on removing participation barriers, including through automated voter registration.

She said: "It is an iterative process and we need to move ahead with it carefully.

"We make different choices in different countries about the way we move this forward."

Academics from across the US, Australia, South America, the UK, and Europe are also preparing to send an open letter to Downing Street urging the Prime Minister to act.

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The letter states: "Inequalities in turnout mean those who do vote do not reflect the wider population, but are richer, older, whiter, and more economically secure than the UK public at large.

"This has warped British politics, and risks a crisis of democratic legitimacy."

Some critics argue that compulsory voting would not guarantee more informed or engaged voters and that individuals should have the right not to participate.

However, Charles White from the Campaign for Compulsory Voting believes the proposed law would address a fundamental issue.

He said: "When public apathy threatens the health of our democracy, waiting for turnout to fix itself is no longer an option.

"Today, leading thinkers and giants of the Labour movement are uniting behind a simple truth: compulsory voting is a common-sense reform we need.

"It is simple, popular, and the only guaranteed way to make participation a universal civic duty."

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A Government spokesperson said: "Different democracies make different choices about how they encourage electoral participation.

"Our focus is on removing barriers to participation and making it easier for eligible electors to register and vote.

"Through our Representation of the People Bill, we’re taking steps to boost participation in our democracy, including giving 16 year olds the vote and moving towards an automated voting registration system so more people can make their voices heard."

The Representation of the People Bill is due to return to the House of Lords for further debate at the committee stage, though a date has not yet been set.

Do you think voting should be compulsory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.