More than 60 Labour MPs have called for a fundamental review of the UK's first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system, describing it as 'broken' and arguing it undermines democracy. The MPs are backing a new national commission to examine the current system for electing the House of Commons and recommend reforms.
Critics have long claimed that FPTP allows candidates to win with a relatively low share of the vote, but supporters argue it delivers decisive results and stable government. The rise of multi-party politics in recent years, with smaller parties challenging Labour and the Conservatives, has reignited the push for change.
First-past-the-post is used for UK general elections and English council elections. The candidate with the most votes in a constituency becomes an MP, and the party with the most MPs forms the government. Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, the SNP, and Plaid Cymru have all advocated for a more proportional system that ties a party's seat share more closely to its vote share.
The Conservatives, however, want to retain FPTP. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed electoral reform during his 2020 Labour leadership campaign but has since dropped the pledge. It was not included in Labour's 2024 general election manifesto.
A total of 64 Labour MPs have signed an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, which would establish a national commission on electoral reform. The bill itself would extend voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds. The amendment was tabled by Leeds Central and Headingley MP Alex Sobel, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections.
Sobel urged cross-party support ahead of the bill's expected return to the Commons next month. 'The prime minister in his reset speech said "a return to the status quo would not be enough for people",' Sobel said. 'First past the post is one of the biggest examples of a broken status quo in UK politics. A very modest part of any reset would be to accept and announce a National Commission for Electoral Reform.'
Signatories include select committee chairs Ruth Cadbury, Cat Smith, and Helen Hayes. In 2022, Labour members voted at the party conference to commit to introducing proportional representation for general elections, and eight of the party's 11 affiliated trade unions already back electoral reform.
The issue was last examined by the Jenkins Commission in 1998, which recommended replacing FPTP with a proportional system, but the proposal was never implemented. In a 2011 referendum, the UK voted overwhelmingly against switching to the alternative vote (AV) system, where voters rank candidates by preference.