MPs vote for proportional representation in victory for public

Last week, Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney managed to find time in the parliamentary schedule to make the case for a voting system that treats every voter fairly. ‘Ten-minute rule’ bills are opportunities for MPs to make a speech in parliament on a topic they care deeply about, and usually aren’t even followed by a vote on the topic.

But this time, a newly elected Conservative MP decided to make an opposing speech in support of First Past the Post. Having been elected to be the MP for Broxbourne on a mere 36.8% of the vote, he obviously saw some benefits of the system. But because there was an opposing speech, MPs got to vote on the bill. 138 MPs voted for fairer elections and a more democratic future. And they won. With only 136 in favour of the tired status quo, Sarah Olney MP’s Elections (Proportional Representation) Ten Minute Rule Bill passed its first hurdle.

Bills need to go through multiple stages in parliament to become a law, and while Sarah’s bill has a date for the next stage, it’s extremely unlikely that time will be found in parliament’s schedule. There is no doubt that the government could find parliamentary time if they wanted.

In fact, on Wednesday, Liberal democrat leader Ed Davey asked the Prime Minister if he could find time for the bill to progress, and the Prime Minister replied that “Proportional representation is not our policy and we will not be making time for it.”

 It may not have been in Labour’s manifesto, but it is a policy supported by Labour members. Two years ago, Labour Conference voted in favour of proportional representation, and the two largest trade union backers of the Labour Party, Unite and Unison, also support electoral reform. The party itself, Labour’s National Policy Forum, has formally recognised that our electoral system is a driver of “the distrust and alienation we see in politics”.

The new cross-party group, the APPG for Fair Elections, is now one of the largest in parliament with over 100 members. Pressure from the public is finally getting through to Westminster.

Labour’s members, unions and policy forum have all identified the problem with First Past the Post – it’s up to Labour’s leadership to find the time to deliver the solution.

Do you agree with Sarah? Add your name to our call for a fair voting system