Should Labour Fully Commit to Proportional Representation?

In blaring red, Labour’s manifesto is clear. Labour is ‘for the many, not the few’. Yet Keir Starmer has been clear that he will not back electoral reform for general election voting systems, despite delegates at Labour’s annual party conference voting in favour of a manifesto commitment to Proportional Representation.

The surge of support towards Proportional Representation (PR) could be credited to Labour supporters’ frustrations with the First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system. Since 1935 single-party ‘majority’ governments have governed near constantly yet these ‘majority’ governments have never actually been voted for by a majority of the UK’s voting population. In this way, the FPTP voting system stifles the UK government’s democratic duty to reflect who has genuinely been voted for and chosen to represent the public in an accurate and politically diverse government. Furthermore, FPTP encourages voter apathy in safe seats where votes for anything other than the constituency’s traditional winner seem unlikely to count.

However, a more likely story for Labour supporters running to the call of PR is the 12 straight years of Tory rule that has undoubtedly cast fears of a de facto one-party system. Labour no longer seems to have the pull on votes as it used to and a switch to PR could be the right political calculation to put Labour seats in government. With over half of people in the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey recently voting that they want the electoral system changed and affiliated Trade Unions now supporting the motion, it’s clear Starmer’s opinion is the minority.

Starmer’s qualms may come from the disincentive of PR promoting coalition governments. However, with the Labour Party still split on what their aims truly are, the mass campaigning and tactical voting that could come about from a commitment to PR incentivising Green and Liberal Democrat voters could be exactly what Labour needs to win after their steady plateau in recent years (bar Corbyn’s rogue 2017 spike).

But, as the Tories sink further into the churning waters of a government embroiled in the Covid-19 scandal and economic chaos under Truss, it seems Starmer’s lack of commitment to PR comes from hopes that Labour will sail smoothly into the rarely-sighted port of a Labour majority at the next General Election. Whether that’s as presumed in 2025 or sooner with a petition to remove Liz Truss recently reaching a sizeable 500,000 signatures. Starmer’s declared stance of a switch to PR not being a ‘priority’ makes it clear he believes Labour can achieve this without the last dash to a system that would transpose divided Labour votes into more seats.

However PR, in its nature, would decentralise what has been standard for UK politics in recent years and help to displace the powerful elites that have reigned under the FPTP system that fundamentally discourages change. By committing to PR Starmer would show that Labour’s next manifesto is going to truly represent the UK in all its political diversity and vibrancy, and that Starmer himself respects the democratic rights of Labour voters. If he will not cooperate with the opinions of Labour delegates, it does not bode well for an already ideologically fissured Labour Party.

If Labour is ‘for the many’ – shouldn’t Starmer put that which ‘the many’ plead for into action?

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