Confidence in British politics is “through the floor”, according to the APPG for Fair Elections
With public trust in politics at a record low, a new poll shows that more than half of voters support calls to review the electoral system.
Confidence in politics is “through the floor”, with 45% of respondents saying they trust politics less than a year ago. Only one in four said their trust had improved.
The APPG warned that volatile local elections are a dress rehearsal for the “chaotic, unrepresentative” results First Past the Post will deliver at the next general election.
They pointed to candidates winning on a small share of the vote. For example, the West of England mayor was elected with just 25% of the vote. In addition, a Cornwall council seat was won with only 19% of the vote.
They also referred to last year’s general election as “the most unrepresentative” in history.
Labour won almost two thirds of the seats with one third of the vote, leaving 58% of voters with an MP they did not choose.
The APPG is calling for a ‘National Commission for Electoral Reform’ to review the UK’s voting system and find fairer alternatives.
The proposal is backed by 52% of the public, with only 10% opposed.
The group has 153 members, 55% of which are Labour MPs.
Labour MP and chair of the APPG Alex Sobel, said: “The more volatile politics gets, the more indefensible our First Past the Post voting system becomes. When elections can be won on 25% of the vote or less, it’s not just unrepresentative – it’s dangerous.”
Sobel warned that the UK is nearing a “tipping point” where a party could win a majority with less than 30% of the vote.
He concluded: “We’re now the biggest APPG in Parliament and the public supports our call for a National Commission for Electoral Reform by a margin of five to one. The Government should listen and act.”
Ellie Chowns, Green MP and Vice Chair of the APPG, said: “With our politics so fragmented and Reform on the rise, there’s now a genuine risk that our voting system could give us an extreme government on a small minority of the vote at the next general election. First Past the Post is a gamble with Britain’s future.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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