Common Ground UK

People's Manifesto

A formal record of UK public opinion set against parliamentary votes
Date of issue
25 May 2026
Total positions
15
Policy areas
7
About this document

This People's Manifesto is produced by Common Ground UK, a non-partisan civic accountability platform. Each position recorded here has emerged from genuine public participation: citizens voted on real UK parliamentary divisions using a five-point scale, and these positions represent the clearest areas of public consensus across all policy areas.

Every accountability gap recorded here is a permanent, Hansard-cited record of the difference between public opinion and parliamentary voting. Full financial assessments and legislative requirements for each position are available to political parties and research organisations on request.

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Financial assessments, legislative requirements, and Hansard references for all 15 positions
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Contents
Click any policy area to jump to that section
Policy areaPositionsAvg public supportParliament aligned
Economy333%2 of 3
Housing20%1 of 1
Education275%0 of 2
Law and Order538%2 of 4
Immigration10%1 of 1
Energy and Environment1100%0 of 1
NHS1Data pendingData pending
Policy areaEconomy
3 positionsRequest Economy briefing
1

The public was divided on whether pension schemes should publish detailed climate risk assessments every year. Half the public had no strong view on this proposal, while the other half disagreed with the requirement. There is no clear public mandate for this policy.

Public verdict
0%
2 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
65%
Result: 272 to 149 Against
22 April 2026
Accountability gap
65 pts
Parliament aligned with public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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2

The public voted against updating pension scheme regulations to align with new government oversight requirements. One person cast a vote and they disagreed with this proposal. This reflects concern about the costs and burden that new rules could place on pension providers.

Public verdict
0%
1 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
68%
Result: 335 to 158 Against
28 April 2026
Accountability gap
68 pts
Parliament aligned with public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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3

The public voted for local councils to have more power to decide how government funding is spent in their areas. One person voted and they agreed with giving councils greater control. This reflects public support for allowing communities more say over how money is used locally.

Public verdict
100%
1 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
62%
Result: 273 to 167 Against
27 April 2026
Accountability gap
38 pts
Parliament voted against public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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Policy areaHousing
2 positionsRequest Housing briefing
4

The public was divided on whether the government should restore mandatory housebuilding targets for local councils. Half of voters wanted targets brought back to increase house building, while half preferred to keep targets voluntary so communities have more say in local development.

Public verdict
33%
3 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
55%
Not recorded
Accountability gap
22 pts
Alignment not determined
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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5

The public voted against requiring local councils to provide accommodation to people whose asylum claims have been rejected. One voter took part and strongly disagreed with this proposal. This is a clear rejection of making councils responsible for housing rejected asylum seekers.

Public verdict
0%
1 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
92%
Result: 304 to 28 Against
28 April 2026
Accountability gap
92 pts
Parliament aligned with public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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Policy areaEducation
2 positionsRequest Education briefing
6

The public was divided on whether schools should be required to teach students about healthy relationships and consent. Half of voters strongly supported making this teaching mandatory in all schools, while the other half strongly opposed it. This split reflects genuine disagreement about whether the government should set these requirements or leave decisions to individual schools and parents.

Public verdict
50%
2 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
62%
Result: 260 to 161 Against
22 April 2026
Accountability gap
12 pts
Parliament voted against public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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7

The public voted in favour of requiring schools to teach children about mental health and wellbeing as part of the curriculum. One voter supported this measure. The public believes mental health education should be a mandatory part of what schools teach.

Public verdict
100%
1 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
81%
Result: 272 to 64 Against
27 April 2026
Accountability gap
19 pts
Parliament voted against public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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Policy areaLaw and Order
5 positionsRequest Law and Order briefing
8

The public voted in favour of treating knife crime as a national emergency and introducing mandatory minimum sentences for possession of a bladed weapon. Two thirds of voters supported this approach while one third opposed it. The public has called for stronger action on knife crime.

Public verdict
80%
5 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
58%
Not recorded
Accountability gap
22 pts
Alignment not determined
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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9

The public strongly supports deporting foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes after they have served their sentences. 100% of voters agreed with this position. This reflects public concern about protecting safety and deterring crime.

Public verdict
100%
4 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
72%
Result: 289 to 111 For
26 April 2023
Accountability gap
28 pts
Parliament voted against public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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10

The public was divided on whether the government should be able to set minimum prison sentences for certain crimes without Parliament voting each time. Half of voters agreed this would speed up responses to crime, while half disagreed that Parliament should keep control over sentencing rules.

Public verdict
50%
2 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
64%
Result: 253 to 143 Against
22 April 2026
Accountability gap
14 pts
Parliament voted against public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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11

The public voted strongly against giving Parliament the power to punish members for contempt without going to court. One hundred percent of voters disagreed with this proposal. The public wants members of Parliament to face the same court system as everyone else.

Public verdict
0%
1 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
40%
Result: 223 to 335 Against
28 April 2026
Accountability gap
40 pts
Parliament aligned with public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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12

The public voted clearly against giving the government more time to complete investigations into Troubles-related deaths. One person participated in this vote and strongly disagreed with extending the deadline. Families have waited decades for answers and the public believes the government should stick to its promised timescales.

Public verdict
0%
1 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
61%
Result: 279 to 176 Against
27 April 2026
Accountability gap
61 pts
Parliament aligned with public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
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Policy areaImmigration
1 positionRequest Immigration briefing
13

The public voted against giving asylum seekers in reception centres access to private washing facilities and separate bedrooms. One person voted and they disagreed with the proposal. This is a very small sample and does not represent a reliable public mandate.

Public verdict
0%
1 votes cast
Majority against
Parliament's vote
79%
Result: 308 to 81 Against
28 April 2026
Accountability gap
79 pts
Parliament aligned with public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
Request briefing for this position
Policy areaEnergy and Environment
1 positionRequest Energy and Environment briefing
14

The public voted to extend the government's powers to control energy prices beyond their original expiry date. One person voted to agree with this extension. The public want the government to keep temporary price controls in place to protect households from sudden increases.

Public verdict
100%
1 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
98%
Result: 380 to 7 Against
22 April 2026
Accountability gap
2 pts
Parliament voted against public opinion
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
Request briefing for this position
Policy areaNHS
1 positionRequest NHS briefing
15

The public voted strongly in favour of making it a legal requirement for the government to reduce NHS waiting lists back to pre-pandemic levels. 100% of voters agreed with this proposal. This means the government should be legally required to hit waiting time targets, with clear consequences if it fails.

Public verdict
75%
4 votes cast
Majority in favour
Parliament's vote
58%
Not recorded
Accountability gap
17 pts
Alignment not determined
Financial assessment and legislative requirement available in full briefing
Request briefing for this position
Request the full briefing document
Financial assessments, legislative requirements, and Hansard references for all 15 positions across 7 policy areas
Request full briefing
Common Ground UK Ltd
commongrounduk.com
Issued: 25 May 2026
This document is a permanent public record