The rule of law is essential for any democracy: it’s Politics 101. We now know what impact rule breaking has: in referendums and elections. But it’s not like rule breaking has taken a back seat since 2016; it’s still a problem we face today in democracies across the world. 

That’s why we at Fair Vote UK are keenly watching the developments in the UK justice system. Today, the UK Supreme Court will resume its hearing into whether Boris Johnson acted lawfully in suspending Parliament. Two appeals are at play: one from Boris Johnson’s government contesting the recent ruling in the Scottish Courts and the other from campaigner Gina Miller. If the Supreme Court upholds the Scottish Court’s ruling and sides with Gina Miller’s appeal, it will be another proven example of the government’s current fashion for tearing up the rules and norms that have kept democracies strong for centuries. Where will it end if we don’t put a stop to this?

Across the pond, Fair Vote UK is fighting its own battle against rule breaking. Last year, a former senior Cambridge Analytica employee told MPs that she believed Cambridge Analytica and Leave.EU took data from UKIP and combined it with user data from a series of US and UK-based companies to manipulate the outcome of the Brexit referendum. Fair Vote UK pursued a preservation order in Mississippi over this data so that the companies in question could not destroy or tamper with it. Though unsuccessful in the first attempt, we believe we have now met the court’s criteria and refiled a motion. 

In both cases, powerful players are trying to break the rules to get what they want. Why should government stifle debate because they can’t control it? Why should powerful companies, and their wealthy backers, have more of a say? 

You can help with our case in Mississippi. We have set up a crowdfunder to pay for legal fees for the court case. To support our crowdfunder got to: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/data-arronbanks/ If you can’t give (or already have done) then please share the link and get the word out. This is important. This is about the right of the people to chart their own democratic destinies free from manipulation.