The head of the elections watchdog has demanded urgent reform of the UK’s electoral laws and warned that the country faces a “perfect storm” of threats that could put the integrity of the system at risk. Sir John Holmes, the chair of the Electoral Commission, also confirmed to the Guardian that the body has launched an inquiry into possible Russian interference in the EU referendum and is waiting for evidence from Facebook, Google and Twitter. The regulator said that in order to police the electoral system properly, and hold politicians and campaigns to account, wholesale changes were necessary.
“We must avoid complacency to stop a perfect storm from forming which would put out democratic processes in peril,” he said.
… The commission announced an inquiry last month into Russian interference in the Brexit vote and has two continuing inquiries into the two main leave campaign groups, Leave.EU and Vote Leave. It faced criticisms for taking 18 months to scrutinise whether rules were complied with during the run-up to the poll on 23 June 2016.
Full Article: British elections at risk from perfect storm of threats, says watchdog | Politics | The Guardian.