New prime minister faces pressure to support electoral reform ahead of first week in parliament.
Prime minister Andy Burnham is facing mounting pressure to commit to electoral reform in the next Labour manifesto, as parliamentary recess comes to a close. Burnham is the first prime minister in modern history to openly support replacing First Past the Post with proportional representation, as his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester influenced his perspective.
In early July, just weeks before taking office, he stated: “I am a strong supporter of electoral reform, partly because I believe it will enable the change to a more collaborative politics, and one that is less about point-scoring and more about problem-solving.”
Despite the prime minister reinstating that ‘this is a matter for a future party manifesto’, nearly 100 Labour MPs have already declared support for a commission to examine alternative voting systems. Burnham will be formally asked to back this commission during his first week in parliament, from 1st September.
Campaign groups have echoed these calls. Emma Harrison, Chief Executive of Make Votes Matter, stated: “I’ve spoken alongside Andy in favour of proportional representation, I know he supports it – now he must show the public he deserves our trust.”
The push for electoral reform forms part of a broader agenda to reshape national governance, sitting alongside devolution and local government reorganisation aimed at empowering local authorities and metro mayors.
How electoral reform could reshape UK electoral boundaries
While specific proposals have yet to be formalised, transitioning to proportional representation would fundamentally alter the UK’s political geography, transforming traditional Westminster constituencies.
If a Single Transferable Vote (STV) model is chosen, existing boundaries would expand to create multi-member constituencies where voters rank candidates by preference. Electing multiple representatives per area would curb single-party dominance and significantly boost representation for smaller parties.
Alternatively, implementing a Party List (Closed List) system would replace local seats with much larger regional constituencies. Voters would cast ballots for political parties rather than individual candidates, aligning seat distribution far more closely with total vote shares.
Adopting an Additional Member System (AMS) would leave current constituency boundaries largely intact. Voters would continue to elect local single-member MPs, while additional regional representatives would be added to ensure the overall outcome is proportional, mirroring the current system in Holyrood.
