Electoral Reform Gains Momentum at Labour Conference

Signs of Progress: From Andy Burnham to Lucy Powell, growing voices call for action on electoral reform

The Open Britain team went to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week hoping to see signs that our calls for a National Commission on Electoral Reform (NCER) are being heard. We were not disappointed.

Growing support from across the Labour movement

On Sunday, at a standing-room-only Labour4PR rally, MPs and other key Labour figures expressed strong support for proportional representation and for an NCER specifically. The work of the APPG for Fair Elections – which Open Britain founded and continues to drive – is clearly registering across the party.

Among the standout speeches was Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s endorsement:

“I’m here to endorse the call for a National Commission to be set up in this Parliament, and a manifesto commitment to a system of proportional representation.”

Having the backing of such a senior Labour figure, who is willing to push the government to adopt policies the British people want, is a huge boost to our campaign. With 60% (and rising) of the public now in favour of PR, the case for an NCER as the first step to renewing our democracy grows ever stronger.

Making the case for trust and renewal

On Monday, at an event hosted jointly by the Fabians and the APPG for Fair Elections, MPs, activists and academics set out how an NCER could underpin Labour’s efforts to rebuild trust in politics. Alex Sobel MP, Chair of the APPG, stressed that momentum is building:

“The government needs to wake up – and is starting to wake up. Support is growing in the Parliamentary Labour Party.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Leadership hopeful Lucy Powell confirmed in a Q&A session that she has “always supported electoral reform”, noting that “it comes up all the time, it’s very important to party members”. If successful in her leadership bid, she could become another powerful advocate for change.

A call for action from the top

Conference culminated in Keir Starmer’s leader’s speech on Tuesday, delivered beneath a lectern emblazoned with the words “Renew Britain”. While he did not explicitly mention electoral reform, if the Prime Minister is serious about his mission to rebuild trust and put politics at the service of working people, agreeing to establish an NCER would be a vital first step.

Building unstoppable momentum

The conference may not have delivered a single breakthrough moment, but it left no doubt that our campaign is making significant progress. More and more people inside Labour – from grassroots activists to senior figures – recognise that proportional representation is key to getting our country back on track, and that an NCER is the best way to define and deliver that change.

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