It’s fair to say that British democracy is in ill health. Labour has inherited rock bottom public trust in politics and a state wracked by austerity. We are working to show that government can deliver again, and this Labour government has rightly set to the task of addressing the myriad problems left us by fourteen years of Conservative government.
Much of that work is not a quick fix – it is hard yards. We know it will take at least a decade to set things right. But if the foundations of our politics are not able to deliver stability then every bit of progress we make in this parliament is at risk of being swept away. Governing under first past the post is building on sand.
At the last general election, 58% of people who voted ended up with an MP they did not vote for. Unusually, despite the overwhelming parliamentary majority it produced, that election did little to restore public trust in democracy.
With at least five parties in contention across the UK, May’s local elections are set to continue and accelerate the UK’s 60-year trend towards political fragmentation. It is neither sustainable nor democratic for governments to be elected on an ever-diminishing fraction of the popular vote.
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Dozens of leading academics have now warned that Westminster’s voting system is headed for chaos. They are not alone. Last month, business leaders came out in favour of electoral reform. They – like we – can see it would create the political stability and consensus required to deliver the long-term investment required to address the housing crisis, the cost of living and rebuilding our trading relationships with Europe.
Labour must not be complacent about the risk of inaction. An outdated electoral system is not just a matter of fairness – it is also a critical vulnerability for interference in British politics and the security of our elections. If extreme parties can win on 30% of the vote, it lowers the bar at which international threats from dark money and disinformation begin to destabilise our democracy.
Cynics might suggest that electoral reform cannot happen without a minor party forcing Labour’s hand – and that electoral reform is just one of many negotiating chips for a coalition deal. That received wisdom is now dangerously outdated. In the 1950s, Labour and the Conservatives won over 90% of the vote. In 1997 that figure was 74%. In 2024? Just 57%.
This trend is reaching a critical tipping point. Five parties are now crammed into a two-horse race across England – six in Scotland and Wales – making elections increasingly random. First past the post is turning British elections into a gamble with the country’s future, recently described by The Economist as “Slot Machine Politics“. Treating our democracy as a bargaining chip in an age of populist anti-democratic movements would be an act of reckless complacency – one that could see British politics follow America’s descent.
There is another way. Labour has a proud tradition of democratic reform – we remain the only party to introduce fair, proportional parliaments across the UK in Wales, Scotland, London and Northern Ireland. This Labour government can still build consensus for an alternative, but it must do so urgently. We need a national commission on electoral reform to examine the electoral system and recommend a modern alternative to first past the post.
We must not bind our party – or the country’s – fate to a broken, unfair democratic system and this clearly failing status quo. The Westminster system is crumbling. Labour must rebuild it – or we will find ourselves under the rubble.
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