Newly elected Labour MPs are mounting pressure on Keir Starmer to introduce proportional representation by the next general election to restore the public’s trust in politics.
More than half of the over-100 MPs who have joined the newly established all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on fair elections represent Labour, including 43 members from the 2024 intake.
The APPG, along with the campaign group Free Vote, is calling on the government to establish a “national commission for electoral reform”, allowing Brits and experts alike to put forward a “fair, democratic alternative” to the first past the post system.
It comes after their latest report indicates that 64 per cent of the public wants the government to address the flaws in the current electoral system before the next general election.
On average, it took 24,000 votes to elect each Labour MP, 49,000 per Lib Dem, 56,000 for every Conservative MP, 486,000 votes per Green, and 824,000 for every Reform MP.
The report also calls for tighter regulations on dark money in politics and demands more transparency from social media companies over how they handle “legal but harmful” content, including disinformation.
Putting forward their aim for reform, the group said: “A broad political consensus has emerged: parties with a combined 500 MPs (77 per cent), including Labour, are in agreement that FPTP is a flawed system that is causing distrust in politics.
“New polling has found almost two thirds (64 per cent) of the public believe the government should address these flaws before the next general election. There is now record and majority public support for changing to a proportional voting system, particularly among those who trust politics.”
Labour MP and chair of the APPG Alex Sobel said: “The popular vote a party needs to win a majority has been steadily falling for decades, and now first past the post has delivered a landslide on just a third of the vote.
“Are we really comfortable with a situation where a party – even an extreme party – can win a thumping majority with, say, just three out of 10 votes? Because if things continue, that’s where we’re heading.”
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