The House Article | To truly enhance our democracy, we must reform the electoral system

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The Labour government has brought forward the Representation of the People Bill to the House of Commons. In doing so, it will add itself to a proud lineage of predecessors who have passed Representation of the People Acts that have extended the franchise, building our political system into the democracy we know today.

This new Bill is a welcome stride forward in enhancing our democracy, including more of our own citizens through automated voter registration and shutting out malign foreign actors. But to truly live up to this legacy, secure our democracy and tackle political inequality at the ballot box, the government must be bolder. To become a modern representative democracy, Westminster needs proportional representation (PR).

As I argued in the House of Commons in January last year, PR is a necessary reform to ensure that our increasingly multi-party politics translates into a representative parliament. Fragmentation has only accelerated since the last general election, with five parties now receiving more than 10 per cent of the projected national vote share – more than ever before. It’s no longer inconceivable for a historic landslide to be won with barely over a quarter of the vote. We must recognise that it is unfair to voters and wrong for any party to have total control over the levers of power of the British state for a five-year term when three in four voters have explicitly voted against them.

As PoliticsHome reported, over 50 constitutional experts have sounded the alarm that first-past-the-post (FPTP) risks “random and arbitrary” results. Among them is Sir Vernon Bogdanor, who has branded Westminster’s voting system “a serious threat to the quality of British democracy”. Meanwhile, the Institute for Government has said that the Gorton and Denton byelection shows that FPTP “is creaking at the seams”. I am pleased the government has already recognised the need for electoral reform by removing FPTP in mayoral elections. We should expect the same strong representative standards for our MPs.

Electoral reform need not threaten the vital constituency link. As an MP, I know this is key to grounding my work as a representative in and of my community. A mixed-member proportional system, as used in the modern parliaments of Germany or New Zealand, and throughout the UK in Scotland, London, and, until recently, Wales, delivers both local and national representation. It’s also worth noting that internationally, the only countries with high and rising public satisfaction with democracy all use PR. Meanwhile, in the UK, public trust is at rock bottom, with NatCen research last year showing that just 12 per cent of people trusted governments to put the interests of the nation above those of their own party.

Foundational reform of our democracy can under no circumstances be done on a whim. Electoral reform must be carried out not because it may benefit any particular party or ideology, but because it puts power back into the hands of the British people. Support for change is strong among Labour MPs – I note with interest excellent interventions from my colleagues Tim Roca, Beccy Cooper, Jenny Riddell-Carptenter, Sean Woodcock and Jo Platt in recent weeks, and many speeches in favour at the Representation of the People Bill’s Second Reading. This is a chance for the government to listen and lead. The cost of inaction could not be higher – chaos for our democracy means chaos for our politics and all those who depend on it.

I was not elected by my constituents to idly stand by and defend a broken political system and failed status quo. Fifty-three per cent of the public want to change our voting system. Electoral reform would go a long way to restore faith in politics. I am proud to be an MP representing a Labour government that is taking the next steps forward to build the modern, secure and representative democracy every elected representative should demand.

I urge the government to go further. It’s time for a national commission on electoral reform.

Luke Akehurst is Labour MP for North Durham