Imagine the following scenario. It is the bright new morning after a UK general election. The votes are in and there is a workable progressive coalition possible in the Commons, bringing together, say, Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Greens. The coalition is formed and immediately announces that one of its first acts will be to pass a law changing the Commons’ electoral system to Proportional Representation (PR).
I would love to see this happen. But only with about 48% of my soul. The other 52% dreads this happening. The dread stems not from any doubts about PR, but from the way we get to it. Let me explain my concern, and offer an alternative view about how a progressive government should tackle electoral reform.
Support for PR
There is widespread support on the left and centre of politics in the UK for a change in the electoral system. The Liberal Democrats and the Greens favour proportional representation. Labour has historically been more conflicted, but there is a strong and arguably growing current in the party supportive of PR. A recent joint report of the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform and Make Votes Matter cites a poll on the eve of the 2019 general election in which 76% of Labour voters supported PR. Cross-party progressive groups, such as Compass, are keen for Labour to commit to PR. PR features prominently in Green MEP Molly Scott Cato’s call for a progressive alliance at the next election.
