December 4th 2024.
Yesterday, in a surprising turn of events, Members of Parliament (MPs) accidentally voted in favor of a motion that would bring major changes to the UK's voting system. This comes after the July election, which left many questioning the fairness of the current system. Despite winning fewer votes than in 2019, the Labour party won by a landslide, causing concern among voters.
The unexpected move was made by the same group of MPs who were voted into office during the last election. This shows that even those in power believe that changes need to be made. The motion, put forward by the Liberal Democrats, proposes to replace the current voting system in England with a form of proportional representation. This was a shock to many, including members of the Liberal Democrats themselves. However, it is unlikely that this will lead to immediate changes in the way elections are held.
So, how did this come about? The Liberal Democrats have long been advocates for changing the UK's First Past the Post voting system, which they believe gives an unfair advantage to the two major parties, Labour and the Conservatives, at the expense of smaller parties. This belief has not wavered, even after the surprising results of the July election, where the Liberal Democrats won 72 seats with 600,000 fewer votes than Reform, who only won five seats.
To demonstrate their support for a new voting system, Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney used a 'ten minute rule' motion to call for a switch to proportional representation. This means that the number of MPs a party gets would be based on their share of the votes. The ten minute rule gives backbench MPs ten minutes to argue for a bill to be introduced, although it is rare for these to become law, even with the support of the House of Commons.
After the vote, the results were unexpected: 137 MPs voted in favor of the motion, and 135 voted against. This means that the motion passed, much to the surprise of those in the chamber. Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who was present at the vote, expressed his surprise and excitement on Twitter, stating that it was "unsurprising" he had voted in favor, but "somewhat more surprising" that they had won.
The Liberal Democrats were quick to capitalize on the result, with Olney declaring it a "historic day" in a press release. However, this does not mean that First Past the Post will be replaced anytime soon. The vote simply showed that the MPs in the chamber at that moment were in favor of a bill on voting reform. At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir Starmer stated that there would be no debate on proportional representation in government time, as it is not a Labour policy. This means that it is unlikely to even make it to the first stage of the legislative process, let alone become law.
Despite this, the fact that 56 Labour MPs also voted in favor of the motion suggests a strong desire within the ruling party to change the voting system. High-profile Labour figures, such as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, have also expressed support for this move in the past. While it may not result in immediate changes, Tuesday's vote could be seen as a symbolic step towards a significant reshaping of British democracy.
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