A major cross-party group of MPs has warned that the electoral system is “unrepresentative” and potentially “dangerous”, urging the government to back reform amid deepening disillusion with politics.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections, the largest of its kind in Westminster, has reiterated its call for a national commission on electoral reform.
The group, largely comprised of Labour politicians, warns that the current First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system is ill-suited to the increasingly volatile and fragmented political landscape.
It comes as fresh polling shows public confidence in British politics has plummeted, with 45 per cent of people stating they have less trust in the political system than a year ago. According to research by Survation, on behalf of the fair elections APPG, only one in four individuals feel their trust in politics has improved over the same period.
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The poll also suggests that 52 per cent of the public back the group’s call for a national commission to review the voting system Britain uses for general elections, with just 10 per cent opposed.
The APPG now boasts over 150 members, including more MPs than the official opposition. The group membership is made up of 134 MPs and 19 peers. The Conservative Party was elected with 121 MPs at the 2024 general election.
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The group has described the local elections as a “dress rehearsal” for future “chaotic and unrepresentative” results, pointing to the West of England mayoralty, which was won with just a quarter of the votes cast. It also cites a council seat in Cornwall, won by a candidate who secured only 19 per cent of the vote.
Labour MP Alex Sobel, chair of the fair elections APPG, said: “The more volatile politics gets, the more indefensible our First Past the Post voting system becomes. When elections can be won on 25 per cent of the vote or less, it’s not just unrepresentative — it’s dangerous.
“There is a tipping point where a party can win a majority in parliament on less than 30 per cent in multi-party politics — I am concerned we are entering that era.
“We’re now the biggest APPG in parliament and the public supports our call for a national commission for electoral reform by a margin of five to one. The government should listen and act.”
Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart, APPG vice chair, said: “There are now MPs across the House who believe what the Liberal Democrats have argued for years: that we need a fair voting system that makes every vote count equally.
“Most people support the idea of an independent national commission to find a way forward. By setting one up, the government can get on the front foot and start restoring trust in politics.”
Green MP Ellie Chowns, like Smart an APPG vice chair, added: “With our politics so fragmented and Reform on the rise, there’s now a genuine risk that our voting system could give us an extreme government on a small minority of the vote at the next general election.
“First Past the Post is a gamble with Britain’s future.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.
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