Andy Burnham, in his capacity as Prime Minister, has announced Labour’s commitment to a significant national endeavour: electoral system reform across the United Kingdom. He outlined plans for a national commission tasked with exploring various options for changing the electoral landscape.
This pledge came during his first party conference speech as leader. He extended an invitation to other political parties, urging them to collaborate with the proposed commission. The overarching goal is to ensure that “everyone’s vote counts, and everyone’s voice is heard.”
The current first-past-the-post system, which governs Westminster elections, faces increasing scrutiny. It has been questioned as the UK’s political landscape has fragmented in recent years. Debate especially intensified after Labour secured a large parliamentary majority in 2024 with only 34% of the national vote.
Burnham himself has previously supported moves towards a proportional representation (PR) model. Last year, he notably declared that “PR’s time has come.” He argued that public servants would “have failed in our public duties” by maintaining the current system, risking “divisive government on less than 30% of the vote.”
Moreover, he believes the nation cannot succeed internationally if political turbulence persists at recent levels. Around 100 Labour MPs recently supported a parliamentary amendment for an alternative options commission. Burnham had also backed this concept last year as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Any shift towards a new electoral system would garner support from the Liberal Democrats. They have consistently urged Burnham to introduce proportional representation before the next election. However, a move away from first-past-the-post will likely face strong resistance from the Conservatives.
Reform UK, by contrast, supported introducing PR at the last election. Nevertheless, speculation suggests their enthusiasm for the change may have since cooled. Nigel Farage, Reform leader, told broadcasters he was open to debating *electoral system reform* “at some point.” However, he stressed other issues were “far more urgent,” questioning its priority for the election after the next one.
Furthermore, support for changing the voting system is not universal within Labour itself. Deputy leader Lucy Powell acknowledged that “parts of the Labour Party” are not in favour of it. While personally backing reform, she declined to specify a proposed new system, noting the availability of “lots of models.”
Alternative voting models include the Single Transferable Vote (STV), currently used for Scottish council elections. The additional member system, a hybrid combining first-past-the-post with regional party lists, elects members of the Scottish Parliament. Earlier this year, the Welsh Senedd was elected for the first time using a closed-list proportional representation system.
