Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consulted the Electoral Commission prior to the publication of the draft Recall of MPs Act 2015 (Recall Petition) Regulations 2015, and if so whether the response from the Electoral Commission indicated support for those draft Regulations.

As required by section 7(2) (k) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Government formally consulted the Electoral Commission prior to the publication of the draft regulations. The Commission’s response did not give an indication as to whether or not it agreed with the policy approach but made a number of recommendations which were considered when finalising the draft regulations. The Government did not consult any registered political parties prior to laying the draft Regulations as there is no statutory requirement to do so.