Stevenson Trust for Citizenship

This lecture will took stock of the state of the UK’s parliamentary democracy. At the centre of that assessment must be the Westminster Parliament: the principal representative institution at the heart of our democratic system. Against a rapidly changing economic, geopolitical and technological backdrop, the lecture will consider whether Parliament is equipped to meet the challenges now confronting the country and what reforms are needed to demonstrate that parliamentary democracy can adapt and deliver, rather than cede ground to political forces that exploit public disillusionment and have little regard for the principles, conventions and constraints on which parliamentary democracy depends.

Stevenson Lecture series: Could it happen here? Democratic Backsliding Around the Globe

In the Autumn 2026 lecture series, we will explore what democratic backsliding is, what it looks like in other established democracies and what it would look like in the United Kingdom. Join us in-person or online as we welcome leading scholars to the University of Glasgow to help us understand how democratic institutions are eroding and what it means for people in the UK. In the Spring of 2027, we will turn to examining ways we can be involved in our democratic institutions and processes to help secure democracy in the UK.

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First published: 20 October 2026