Backbench Business Committee
2 September 2025
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Backbench Business Committee House of Commons
14:01 - 14:27
Speaker 1
Welcome to the meeting of the Backbench Business Committee as we regroup after the summer recess. This afternoon, we'll be hearing applications from colleagues for debates both in the Chamber and in Westminster Hall. The first debate application is from Rachel Blake on the International Day of Democracy, and this is for a general debate of 90 minutes on a Tuesday morning in Westminster Hall.
14:28 - 16:25
Speaker 2
Over to you, Rachel. Thank you very much. September 15 is International Day of Democracy, and I'm bringing forward a cross-party proposal to have a debate on or around this day. I know that many of you will be as concerned as I am about trust in politics and the decline. Just 12% of people trust governments to put the interest of the nation above those of their own party, and only 19% think that the system of governing Britain needs little or no improvement. And so, I think that will rally us all to want to be able to debate and consider this topic together.
In 2024, global freedom declined for the 19th consecutive year, according to reporting by Freedom House. 60 experienced deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties, and only 34 secured improvements. Since being elected, I have campaigned on this issue and experienced it firsthand through the experience of my own constituent, Jimmy Lai. Standing up for my constituent and as the new chair of the all-party parliamentary group for compassion in politics. And I was concerned about the recent speaker's conference, which highlighted that over half of MPs report that abuse has made them feel unsafe. There are really important debates that the chamber and Westminster Hall have considered about the future of political donations, the role of foreign donors in our democracy and the UK's electoral system, and how we can restore trust in politics.
I note that I don't believe the House has marked International Day of Democracy since 2017, but the government is acting on this with an elections white paper preceding a bill later this year. And so, I believe that the International Day of Democracy marks an important opportunity to take stock of the state of democracy in the UK and around the world, and to advocate for strengthening and building resilience in our democracies.
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