Labour MPs urge Andy Burnham to make major change to elections to stop Reform_D

Labour MPs are pressing Prime minister Andy Burnham to launch an electoral reform commission within 100 days, fearing first-past-the-post could hand Reform UK power on minority support. Nearly 100 Labour parliamentarians have signed an amendment seeking the commission to examine proportional systems for Westminster elections. The move, tabled to the Representation of the People Bill returning on September 2, is understood to have attracted support from former ministers, centrists and some newly appointed frontbenchers.

New YouGov polling of MPs shows majority support across the Commons for a review of the current system. An amendment launching the commission has been backed by 185 MPs from eight parties plus independents. Signatories include energy secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, communities minister Florence Eshalomi and Mr Burnham’s parliamentary private secretary Jo Platt, though convention may see frontbenchers withdraw once parliament resumes.

The urgency stems from a transformed political landscape. Eroded party loyalties have produced an atomised system in which five parties – Reform UK, Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Greens – compete closely. In the 2024 election, Labour secured nearly two-thirds of Commons seats with just a third of the vote.

Reform has since polled regularly around or above 30%. Under first-past-the-post, that level of support could deliver Nigel Farage a large majority and the keys to No 10 despite limited overall public backing.

Many newer Labour MPs, elected in 2024, share the party membership’s long-standing preference for proportional representation. They argue the winner-takes-all system forces tactical voting, leaves millions of ballots effectively wasted and breeds cynicism. Supporters also note that claims of stability under first-past-the-post look threadbare after seven prime ministers in a little over a decade.

Mr Burnham, a long-standing advocate of change, endorsed a national commission at last year’s Labour conference while still mayor of Greater Manchester. He backed a manifesto commitment to introduce proportional representation for Westminster elections in the next parliament. Number 10 said Mr Burnham remains committed to including electoral reform in Labour’s next manifesto but stopped short of endorsing the new commission.

A Labour source told The Guardian that the bill prioritises manifesto pledges on votes at 16 and tighter rules against foreign interference in political donations. They said: “Andy remains strongly committed to electoral reform, and has indicated this is a matter for a future party manifesto, given a mandate would need to be secured for it.”

MPs argue the commission must report before the next election and want reform locked into the subsequent manifesto. Former Treasury minister Rachel Blake said the parliamentary Labour party agrees first-past-the-post is broken and that a national commission is the way forward, adding: “The government should press ahead and launch this process within the prime minister’s first hundred days.”

Labour national executive committee member Luke Akehurst said parliament is catching up with public opinion, remarking: “Andy Burnham has a good track record on proportional representation, and it’s now hugely popular across the Labour party. He should seize this opportunity.”

Labour MP Lizzi Collinge said the current system particularly devalues the votes of renters, young people and BAME voters, producing parliaments that fail to reflect how most people voted. Former minister Catherine Fookes argued first-past-the-post cannot cope with modern multiparty politics. Mike Reader pointed to a “sea change” in support for proportional representation across Labour and the public.

Alex Sobel, who tabled the amendment, said a majority of MPs and a majority of Labour MPs now back the proposal, explaining: “I know the prime minister is committed to reforming our electoral system and I and all the MPs who signed this amendment want to work with him to set the UK on a road towards fair, modern general elections.”

Campaigners urged Mr Burnham to act while he holds a workable majority. Make Votes Matter chief executive Emma Harrison insisted he must act, stating: “He must now show the public he deserves their trust.”

A national commission would not require primary legislation, so the amendment itself may fall outside the bill’s scope. MPs intend it as a clear signal of the breadth of support for swifter change. Other systems already used in Scotland, Wales and mayoral contests offer models that combine constituency and list or ranked-choice elements.

The UK last rejected reform in the 2011 alternative vote referendum. Labour conference in 2022 backed a shift towards proportional representation, which Mr Burnham then called historic.

With the bill’s remaining stages imminent and the October Budget approaching, the push places Mr Burnham under immediate pressure. MPs see a commission as the route to a clear manifesto commitment that, if Labour is re-elected, would replace first-past-the-post and close off the route by which a party on roughly 30 % support could dominate the Commons.