I support the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Power and opportunity are currently too centralised in our country and the Bill will change this by reforming local government in England and give communities the right to shape their local areas. It passed its second reading on Tuesday 2 September 2025, by a strong majority of 365 to 154.
The Bill will need to be scrutinised further in the coming months before it can become law. Once it does so, it will also restore the supplementary vote system for mayoral elections in England, and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales. Given the populations represented by mayors and police and crime commissioners far exceed the size of constituencies represented by MPs, this is the right approach.
Devolution to empower local government forms an important part of the Government’s agenda for political reform. As part of this, I support modernising the House of Lords by ending the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in Parliament once and for all. I am hopeful that this change will also soon become law. In addition, I back plans to reform political donation rules to protect our democracy from foreign interference alongside lowering the voting age to 16 to expand younger people’s democratic rights. This fulfils another important pledge in the election manifesto.
Best wishes
Rt Hon Hilary Benn
MP for Leeds South
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland