BBC Democracy Day

Tuesday 20th January 2015 marked the 750th anniversary of what is regarded as England's first-ever parliament.

This was the first time a group of elected representatives were invited to parliament to represent every county and major town in England.

To celebrate this landmark, the BBC hosted a Democracy Day with live events, discussion and debate. I was on a televised programme with the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners Lee, discussing open data.

There are many benefits of open data, including transparency and public empowerment. Read more on the BBC website by clicking here.

The Digital Democracy Commission, of which I am a Commissioner, launches its report on 26 January which investigates how digital technology can best be used to enhance parliamentary democracy. The report will outline many ways in which the UK Parliament can become increasingly open and transparent.