Proportional Representation advocates say ‘Wake Up Westminster’ in weekend events nationwide
London March, Democracy Minister Doorstep Demo and Pre-by-election street stall held.
On Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June, members of the Proportional Representation (PR) advocacy group Make Votes Matter held various events across the country for their ‘Wake Up Westminster’ campaign.
Campaigners argue that the UK’s First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system produces distorted election results, encourages tactical voting and leaves many communities feeling ignored. At the last general election, Labour won a landslide majority with just 34% of votes cast. Since then, the decline of Britain’s traditional two-party system has only become clearer, leading to increasingly unpredictable election results and a ‘slot machine democracy’ as some commentators have claimed.
The recent local election results in England fuelled renewed calls for electoral reform, with campaigners highlighting the growing disparity between votes cast and seats won. While no elections took place in Northamptonshire, all-out elections in Greater London saw:
The Conservatives win 59% of seats in Westminster with only 35% of votes.
Labour win more than two-thirds of seats in Redbridge with only one-third of votes.
The Lib Dems win all seats in Richmond-upon-Thames with 52% of votes.
Demonstration Held in Democracy Minister’s Seat
On Saturday, MVM Warrington held several public actions throughout Chester, including a demonstration outside of the constituency offices of local MP Samantha Dixon (Chester and Neston North, Labour), located in the historic Blue Coat Hospital Building. As Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Local Growth, Dixon’s portfolio covers elections policy. As part of the demonstration, campaigners held up a banner with the legend ‘Wake Up Westminster’ and rang bells to attract attention.
MVM members also erected banners across Chester. Several were displayed along the city walls including over Eastgate – situated on the original site of the Roman fortress Deva Victrix – and Watergate. Banners were displayed at other Chester landmarks including Chester Town Hall and Chester Cathedral.
Pyjama-clad Marchers in London
On Sunday, MVM members from across Greater London took part in a march through the centre of the capital, jointly organised by MVM South West London and MVM North London.
Meeting at the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre in Lambeth for a 10:30am start, marchers conducted a circuit with their route taking them past the London Eye, Parliament, Downing Street and Trafalgar Square.
In keeping with the theme of ‘Wake Up Westminster’, marchers were dressed in pyjamas and dressing gowns and carried oversized prop clocks, meaning to represent ‘sleepwalking’ politicians waking up to the issue of electoral reform.
Street Stall Held in Manchester Ahead of Makerfield By-election
On Sunday, MVM Manchester hosted a street stall in Market Street and displayed a banner in St Peter’s Square ahead of the Makerfield by-election on Thursday 18 June. The by-election was triggered after incumbent MP Josh Simons resigned to allow Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham the chance to re-enter Parliament and mount a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer. Labour’s leadership crisis was triggered by the party’s loss of 1,498 councillors and control of thirty-eight councils in last May’s elections.
As a cross-party organisation, MVM does not endorse any one candidate, instead seeking to highlight which candidates support PR and pledging to cooperate with whichever one wins to secure electoral reform. Pro-PR candidates identified in this by-election include:
Andy Burnham (Labour), who reiterated in an interview with the Observer his commitment to PR.
Jake Austin (Liberal Democrat), whose party supports Single Transferable Voting for general elections and English local elections.
Sarah Wakefield (Green), whose party supports Additional Member System for general elections.
Robert Kenyon (Reform UK), whose party has a general commitment to PR.
Peter Ward (Rejoin EU), whose official description cites ‘Bring In PR’ as a secondary goal.
Ed Gemmell (Climate), who commented that PR is needed for ‘new ideas, wildly more ambition and universal collaboration in parliament’ and cited the successes of Teals (environmental, conservative independents) in Australia.
Dan Clarke (Libertarian), who commented that his party is ‘massively in favour of PR and its introduction’.
Concurrent by-elections in Aberdeen South and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry were triggered following the election of incumbent Scottish Nationalist MPs Stephen Flynn and Stephen Gethins to the Scottish Parliament last May.
Events Elsewhere
‘Wake Up Westminster’ events organised by MVM groups on Saturday included:
A rally in front of Sean Henry's Catafalque (Lying Man) sculpture in Victoria Square, Woking.
A banner drop in Totnes attended by local MP Caroline Voaden (South Devon, Lib Dem).
A street stall in Eynsham in Oxfordshire as part of the village’s Big Green Weekend.
Leafleting at the Wimborne Folk festival in Dorset.
‘Roving stalls’ in Bedford, Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, Keswick in Cumbria and Skelmersdale in Lancashire.
Sunday also saw a series of banner displays held around York, including outside York Minster and Clifford’s Tower, and along the city walls originating from the Roman fort of Eboracum.
A Pathway to PR
These events sought to raise public awareness of and support for what MVM believes to be a pathway to securing electoral reform.
The Government’s Representation of the People Bill – currently at the committee stage – proposes to:
Lower the voting age to 16.
Introduce automatic voter registration.
Expand the range of acceptable voter identification.
Introduce limits on company donations and close loopholes for unincorporated associations.
Enhance the powers of the Electoral Commission.
With the bill due to receive its third reading, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Electoral Reform Alex Sobel (Leeds Central and Headingley, Labour) proposed an amendment in support of a National Commission on Electoral Reform.
The National Commission proposed would be tasked with reviewing the current FPTP voting system and ‘[making] any recommendations for reform to ensure that the voting system is fair, representative, and capable of sustaining public confidence in democratic outcomes’.
If adopted, the amendment would require the Bill’s sponsor Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Steve Reed (Streatham and Croydon North, Labour) to publish a feasibility report within three months of the Bill’s passage. If considered feasible, the Commission would need to be independent and publish its final recommendations within twelve months of its launch.
At time of writing, more than 120 MPs across several parties have endorsed the amendment including Northamptonshire MPs Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire, Labour) and Mike Reader (Northampton South, Labour).