1215 and Magna Carta limits the power of the king for the first time, as the Barons lay
down the law with King John...
In 1258 Simon de Montfort's Great Council and the Provisions of Oxford gave a small
group of 'Commoners' a wider hand in governing the realm
Like father like son, Henry tried to back out of the agreement, prompting a civil war
De Montfort won, and at his 1265 Parliament called representatives from towns and cities
together -- another first
Then the 'Model' Parliament of 1295 gave boroughs and shires two representatives each.
1430 and the vote was given to freeholders of land worth 40 shillings or more
And the Putney Debates of 1647 saw the 'Levellers' argue for voting rights for all
It was nearly 200 years before the Great Reform Act of 1832 swept away 'rotten boroughs' extending
the vote to the new industrial cities
Reforms followed reforms... followed reforms - and the electorate grew...
And in 1918 universal suffrage was finally achieved for men over 21 and women over 30
-- a decade later matched at 21
Today every eligible UK citizen over 18 has the right to vote for their representative
in Parliament