Overwhelming support in first full PR debate

Written By Joe Sousek

Labour MPs lined up in Parliament this week to urge the government to set up a National Commission for Electoral Reform during a ground-breaking Backbench Business Debate in the Commons.

In this first, full debate of Proportional Representation of the new Parliament, pro-PR members described Britain’s First Past the Post voting system as “undemocratic”, “unrepresentative”, and “outdated”, with just one Labour backbencher giving a speech in defence of the status quo.

On the morning of the debate, MPs Andrew Ranger and Anna Dixon wrote an article on LabourList, saying that: “By establishing a National Commission, the government can get on the front foot and show it is serious about addressing our unrepresentative voting system – and stem the rise of disengagement and distrust in politics.”

The debate was opened by Alex Sobel MP, who made a speech that both supporters and opponents in the Chamber recognised as a powerful and compelling argument.

Saying that he wanted, “to encourage the Government to be bold and to be honest about how unrepresentative British general elections have become”, the Leeds Central and Headingley noted that “there is a great opportunity to set up a process that begins to build consensus: a National Commission to examine the issues that First Past the Post is causing, and to recommend a fair and democratic alternative.”

He was followed by supportive speeches from across the House, including from Labour MPs including Florence Eshalomi, Luke Akehurst, Andrew Lewin, Joe Powell, Steve Race, Andrew Ranger, Anna Dixon, Tim Roca and Noah Law.

This was an extremely well attended event for a debate of this kind. Every MP in Great Britain has been asked by constituents to attend the debate, with over 11,000 people writing to their local representative in recent days.

In scenes reminiscent of the 2021 and 2022 Labour Party Conferences, this set piece debate about electoral reform was overwhelmingly one sided; with its advocates winning the argument commandingly against few, and increasingly tired and lacklustre, objections. 

Events in Parliament waves beyond Westminster, with significant national press coverage in outlets including the Independent, Evening Standard, and even the Daily Mail. The call for a National Commission was also picked up by local and regional outlets all over Britain.

This debate was just the next step in the parliamentary campaign for PR, which began with the launch of the APPG for Fair Elections, followed by the historic vote in favour of PR by the House of Commons last month.

And all of this work builds upon the vital foundations of the overwhelming consensus for electoral reform, established across the Labour movement by members, local parties and trade unionists throughout the last Parliament.

Labour for a New Democracy will continue to organise and build more and more pressure - in Parliament and beyond. As momentum for real democratic reform builds, the Labour movement, and Labour MPs, will remain at the heart of the campaign to secure fair votes for all.

What’s next?

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Joe Sousek

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House of Commons to debate PR