Consensus across Labour for electoral reform
The response to the latest phase of Labour’s ‘final year’ National Policy Forum (NPF) process has demonstrated that Proportional Representation for general elections remains a major priority across the party.
Despite having less than three weeks to respond to the party’s draft policy programme, some one hundred Constituency Labour Parties spanning the UK formally asked their elected NPF reps to table the #Labour4PR amendment, which commits Labour to PR for the House of Commons.
Over the same period, hundreds of members across all eleven regions met with their regional NPF reps and urged them to champion the views of the membership and wider Labour movement by tabling and supporting amendments in favour of PR for general elections.
As a result, pro-PR amendments have been proposed and seconded by members’ representatives from all over the UK and across the spectrum of the party, by CLP, socialist society, and trade unions reps. These amendments will be discussed and decided on at the ‘Final Stage’ NPF meeting in late July.
This all builds on the historic and overwhelming decision of the 2022 Labour Party conference to support electoral reform. The task of the campaign is now to translate this consensus into action by the next Labour government. That's why this year we are not asking CLPs to send policy motions to conference, but are instead engaging with the NPF process that will formally agree the party programme.
Read and share the oped below by party members Abbie Jones and David Ward, appearing on Labour List - and sign up for the final opportunity to lobby NPF reps from all regions to back Labour’s consensus on PR.
‘Electoral reform has gone from niche to consensus view – Labour must back PR’
By Abbie Jones & David Ward
“The flaws in the current voting system are contributing to the distrust and alienation we see in politics.” That’s not just according to a motion passed by your local branch, or the words of a backbench Labour MP, or a call to action from a campaign group. That’s according to Labour’s official draft party programme…
"Since the last general election support for PR has gone from a relative minority interest to the consensus position across the Labour movement."@aBeeJones1 & @DavidDjward on the vast demand for voting reform converging on @labpolicyforum #Labour4PR 🌹https://t.co/GLJZMruXsB
— LCER (@Labour4PR) June 16, 2023
Event: Last chance to lobby your NPF reps
18:30, Wednesday 5 July
