‘No plans to change voting system’ insists minister, as cross-party pressure for reform builds

MPs from the Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform UK and Green parties have pressured the government to pursue reform of the “broken” First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system.

In a House of Commons debate on Thursday, led by Labour MP and Fair Elections APPG chair Alex Sobel, the government was told that FPTP is “unfair” and risks undermining trust in politics.

Sobel told the House: “The truth is [FPTP] is failing on its own terms. It’s becoming less and less representative and producing more and more random results. More outliers, more MPs elected [by] less than 30 per cent of their constituents.”

Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “We have the most unrepresentative parliament in living memory. We have a situation where the governing party [won] about 34 per cent of the votes cast, but 63 per cent of the seats in this great House.”

Labour MP Luke Akehurst said: “The party that gets a massive boost in seats from [FPTP] in one election may get a disproportionate kicking from the electorate in terms of the seats that the system delivers in another.

“The volatility of the modern electorate makes that particularly pertinent.”

Liberal Democrat MP and Fair Elections APPG vice-chair Lisa Smart said: “[FPTP] is a system that no longer functions as a fair or effective mechanism for translating the will of the electorate into parliamentary representation.

“It is collapsing under its own weight, and the time has come to take the first step in addressing this failure with the establishment of a national commission for electoral reform.”

Green Party MP Siân Berry said: “We have a society vulnerable to being exploited by populist division and tyranny, and [FPTP] adds to these risks.

“Those who seek to distort our national conversation from outside politics, using money and influence to pursue their own agenda, can see dangled in front of them the huge prize of what is virtually absolute power if they can achieve the slimmest of margins to reach first place in a volatile system.”

In his contribution, Labour MP Andrew Lewin focused on how the parties can “build consensus for electoral reform” and a potential timeframe that is “both desirable and realistic.”

He said: “One of the things I think we must avoid is the spectacle of a new Westminster government winning power and then legislating quickly to change the system if they believe it to be in their self-interest.”

He added: “So where does that lead us? I’m afraid inevitably to a referendum.”

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “This system leaves millions of voices unheard. It creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

The Conservative Party spokesperson, Paul Holmes, disagreed with previous contributions. He said: “We should not trade a proven system [FPTP] for one that prioritises theoretical fairness over practical effectiveness.

“The challenges we face as a country demand strong leadership, clear accountability, and a system that works for the people.”

The minister on duty, Rushanara Ali, confirmed that the government has “no plans to change the voting system” for elections to the House of Commons “at this time”.

She added: “The [FPTP] system, while not perfect, provides for… a direct relationship between members of parliament and their local constituency.”

Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

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