UK delivers harsh verdict on Starmer and parliamentary democracy

The country delivered two of its bleakest verdicts in months, narrowly deciding that the UK's parliamentary democracy is not a democracy at all and telling Keir Starmer he left the place in a worse state than he found it.

The narrow No on Is the UK's parliamentary democracy a democracy? captured the day's darkest mood. Wheeler dealing behind scenes was the room’s bleakest shorthand; the losing Yes side offered the clearest defence of the machinery yet still fell short.

Did Keir Starmer leave the UK in a better place than he found it? produced the chamber’s clearest verdict and its quietest case: not one Yes voter left an argument on the page, and two in three said No.

The verdicts

On Should the government strengthen the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate to reach net zero faster? the country was even more emphatic, rejecting a tougher mandate by two to one. Every argument came from No voters, the sharpest of whom called net zero economic and industrial suicide.

The UK also split almost down the middle on Did the major parties make a mistake in not contesting today's Clacton By-election? “They bottled it” was the sharpest charge, yet the major parties’ absence narrowly survived the attack.

Should a UK ICE force be formed? won support, though the floor’s sharpest formulation warned against copying America: Yes — but just don’t call it that.

Should we stop SATs testing for Primary School children? saw keeping the tests carry the day. Reformers argued education should be a joy never a chore, while the winning side mostly defended SATs as a necessary check.

The country spoke with one voice on rights and royalty. Should the UK create a new legal right to protect people's image, voice and likeness from AI replicas? passed by more than four to one; every written contribution backed the new protection and the bluntest case was simply “It’s that simple.”

Finally, Should Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor not receive a state funeral as planned? saw the chamber reject a royal ceremonial send-off. Its sharpest case turned on equal treatment rather than a settled finding of guilt: many have and have not been stripped of titles.

Voting continues today.

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