Burnham to fight next election on pledge to change voting system

Andy Burnham has promised that Labour will fight the next general election on a pledge to change the UK's voting system.

In his first party conference speech as prime minister, he announced plans for a national commission to explore options for electoral reform.

He invited other parties to work with the commission to ensure "everyone's vote counts, and everyone's voice is heard".

He has previously supported moves towards a proportional representation (PR) model, telling last year's conference that "PR's time has come".

Westminster's first-past-the-post system, under which candidates with the most votes in each seat are elected, has been called into question as the UK political landscape has fragmented in recent years.

Debate over the system has intensified since Labour amassed a huge parliamentary majority with a 34% vote share in 2024.

Around 100 Labour MPs recently supported a parliamentary amendment in favour of setting up a commission to examine alternative options, a move Burnham himself supported last year when mayor of Greater Manchester.

In his speech Burnham told delegates: "We will all have failed in our public duties if we carry on as we are and open the door of No 10 to a divisive government on less than 30% of the vote or less."

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