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Burnham to fight next election on pledge to change voting system
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- Andy Burnham, in his first party conference speech as Labour leader, pledged to fight the next general election on a commitment to change the UK's voting system and announced plans for a national commission to explore electoral reform options.
- Burnham has previously supported proportional representation (PR) and criticized the current first-past-the-post system, highlighting concerns over divisive governments formed on less than 30% of the vote.
- Around 100 Labour MPs back a parliamentary amendment to set up a commission on alternative voting systems, and the Liberal Democrats support moving towards PR, while Conservatives are expected to resist such changes.
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage expressed openness to discussing electoral reform in the future but does not consider it an immediate priority compared to other issues.
- Support for changing the voting system is not unanimous within Labour, with deputy leader Lucy Powell acknowledging internal divisions but personally backing reform without endorsing a specific model.
