Speculation is mounting that Andy Burnham may use the postponed third reading of the Representation of the People Bill to push for a compulsory duty to vote – a move that would transform British democracy. Two Labour MPs, Antonia Bance and Bell Ribeiro-Addy, have tabled amendments calling for a national commission on electoral reform and a compulsory vote, though the latter remains less popular. The bill, which would lower the voting age to 16 and tighten campaign finance rules, has been delayed until after parliament’s summer recess.
The push for compulsory voting comes as Burnham, who took office after a byelection in a constituency estimated to have voted 65% leave, tries to balance his pro-European instincts with a domestic focus. “I also believe the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments,” he said of Brexit, adding that he was “not proposing that the UK considers rejoining the EU.” Yet European leaders have welcomed him warmly: Ursula von der Leyen spoke of “bringing the EU and UK closer and closer”, Emmanuel Macron hoped for “new momentum”, and Friedrich Merz said he looked forward to an even closer bond.
“Andy Burnham faces pressure on compulsory voting and EU relations as Brexit debate reignites.”
Burnham’s focus on industrialisation and regionalism could, ironically, achieve that. In a detailed analysis for the UK in a Changing Europe thinktank, Joël Reland argued that Burnham’s domestic revolution may unobtrusively pull Britain closer to the EU – even without the red lines of no single market, customs union or freedom of movement.
Meanwhile, the Brexit debate rumbles on. A report by the US National Bureau of Economic Research claims the UK economy is 6% smaller than it would have been without Brexit. But critics point out that, in the decade since the referendum, Britain actually outgrew France, Italy and Germany. The author of a piece for UnHerd calls this “Project Smear” – a hypothetical that cannot be tested, and which delays the real task of making Brexit work.
Burnham’s potential electoral reforms are partly driven by concern over turnout. The 2024 UK general election saw turnout below 60%, falling to 53% when non-registered eligible voters are included, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research. Australia, which introduced compulsory voting in 1924, enjoys 90% turnout. A 2025 report by the Constitutional Society, Universal Suffrage?, found that 2024 turnout was significantly higher among white voters (by 13 percentage points), wealthy (22), older (34) and outright homeowners (36) compared with their counterparts. “Low and unequal turnout can no longer be seen as merely a symptom of democratic malaise, but must now be understood as a contributing factor – one that warps the incentives of the political class, and contributes to skewed, inequitable and ineffectual policymaking… undermining political trust,” the report states.
Australia’s recent budget, which introduced tax changes to cool the housing market, shows what can fly politically when wealthy homeowners do not dominate the electorate. Some on the right, including a former Tory chancellor, accept the arguments. For Burnham, whose instincts are progressive, compulsory voting could reshape policy and engagement – while his quiet European approach may redefine Britain’s place in the world.