This Branch / Constituency Labour Party welcomes the overwhelming support for Proportional Representation amongst the Labour membership demonstrated at the 2021 Labour Party conference.
80% of CLP delegates and four affiliated trade unions voted in favour of a Labour Party manifesto commitment, at the next general election, to introduce a proportional voting system for general elections; and an open and inclusive process to decide the specific voting system Labour will commit to.
It is further noted that Unite – the largest affiliate – has subsequently also voted to support electoral reform at its October 2021 policy conference.
However, electoral reform has not yet won the support of all of the wider Labour movement, including some of the largest trade unions.
This BLP / CLP believes that:
- As a democratic socialist party, Labour must commit to PR as an expression of our values of equality, democracy, and fairness.
- First Past the Post does long-term damage to the health of our democracy by forcing Labour to prioritise swing voters in marginal seats, to the neglect of the majority who live in ‘safe seats’.
- First Past the Post gives the Tories an unfair advantage, allowing them to govern the UK for 2/3rds of the last seven decades without ever winning a majority of the popular vote. PR would level the playing field.
This BLP / CLP resolves:
- To call on the Leader, the National Executive Committee, and the National Policy Forum to commit to introducing a proportional voting system under the next Labour government.