A quick history of UK democracy
The nutshell
UK democracy grew slowly over hundreds of years. Power moved from a single king to Parliament, and the vote spread from a few rich men to almost every adult.
Every fact on this page comes from UK Parliament and other non-partisan bodies. Each source tag — like Parl — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
It started with limits on the king
For a long time, a king or queen held most of the power in England. In 1215, a group of powerful landowners called barons made King John agree to Magna Carta. Magna Carta was the first document to put in writing that the king was not above the law.Parl Its rule that taxes needed the agreement of the kingdom helped Parliament grow.
Parliament grows stronger
Over the next few hundred years, Parliament slowly gained more power. Members of Parliament, or MPs, began to make the country's laws. But only a small number of rich men could vote. Most people had no say at all.
The vote spreads
In the 1800s, new laws slowly gave more people the vote. The Great Reform Act of 1832 widened who could vote and moved seats to growing industrial towns.Parl It grew the number of voters by more than half. Even so, most adults still could not vote.
Votes for women, and for all adults
Women could not vote in a general election until 1918. In that year, the vote went to women over 30 who owned enough property, and to all men over 21. In 1928, a new law let women vote on the same terms as men, from age 21.HoC
UK democracy today
Today, almost every adult can vote. To vote in a UK general election, a person must be 18 or over. Registering to vote can start from age 16.EC
- UK democracy grew step by step through laws passed in Parliament, rather than through a single sudden revolution
- Each reform widened who could vote, so the electorate grew from a small, wealthy group to almost every adult
- By 1928 women could vote on the same terms as men, according to the House of Commons Library
- The change was slow — more than 700 years passed between Magna Carta in 1215 and equal votes for women and men in 1928
- For most of that time only a small share of adults could vote, and many groups were left out for a long time
- Some rules, such as the voting age and how votes turn into seats, remain debated today
The deep end6 min
From Magna Carta to a written limit on power
In 1215, rebel barons forced King John to agree to Magna Carta at Runnymede. According to UK Parliament, Magna Carta was the first document to set down in writing that the king and the government were not above the law.Parl Its clause that taxation needed the consent of the kingdom is described by UK Parliament as helping to pave the way for Parliament. The earliest use of the word parliament for a formal meeting came a few decades later.
Widening the vote in the 1800s
For centuries only a small, wealthy group of men could vote. The Great Reform Act of 1832 began to change that. UK Parliament records that the Act widened who could vote and moved parliamentary seats to growing industrial towns such as Manchester and Birmingham, expanding the electorate by more than 50 per cent.ParlFurther reform acts later in the century widened the vote again, though most adults still could not take part.
Votes for women, and equal franchise
The Representation of the People Act 1918 gave the vote to women over 30 who met a property qualification, and to all men over 21, according to the House of Commons Library. The House of Commons Library records that the Equal Franchise Act 1928 then let women vote on the same terms as men, from age 21, and that women went on to form the majority of the electorate.HoC The 1929 general election was the first held on the basis of near-universal adult suffrage, meaning almost every adult could vote.
Where UK democracy stands now
Today almost every adult citizen can vote. The Electoral Commission states that a person must be 18 or over to vote in a UK Parliamentary general election, and that registering to vote can begin from the age of 16.EC Some questions about UK democracy remain debated, such as the voting age and how votes are turned into seats. The topics on Magna Carta and the Civil War look further back at how these changes began.