First-past-the-post

Britain's current electoral system has taken a battering from the IPPR thinktank today.

The Institute for Public Policy Research's report criticises the constituency-based voting system for not being appropriate for Britain's new three-party politics.

It says over a third of voters rejected the two main parties, Labour and the Conservatives, in the 2010 general election and argues overall majorities are likely to become much rarer in the future.

The report also claims that only 1.8% of the electorate in 108 marginal constituencies proved decisive in determining the outcome of the election.

With the electoral referendum asking voters to back the alternative vote system coming up in May, debate about the merits of the respective systems are only likely to intensify in the coming months.