meeting held on Wed 20th May 2026
Six people were present. One sent his apologies.
The Local Election results, which were represented as a “landslide” for
Reform in terms of the number of council seats won and councils
taken over, did not take into account the well known faults of the first
past the post voting system in delivering large numbers of seats for a
relatively modest share of the total vote. An effect clearly seen in the
General Election when Labour gained a large majority on this basis.
It was felt that this state of affairs should be a priority for the
Government in bringing forward a “fair votes” system in the near
future.
The main discussion centred on the possibility of moving to a
proportional representation voting model which would clearly link the
number of seats gained to the share of the vote obtained. It was noted
that a Labour Party conference decision to explore and implement
such a system was passed but then ignored by the party at the top.
It was recognised that there are several methods to be considered but
the discussion in the meeting was limited to the well known Regional
List model. Enlarged constituencies would each elect one MP by first
past the post whilst other MPs would be selected from Party lists on a
regional basis. The final number of seats to reflect the vote share
achieved by each Party. It was felt that we have a great opportunity to
make a positive change to politics in the UK. There was no agreement
on how this change should be implemented in a timely fashion withthe consent of the people. Citizens’ Assemblies or the Government
with its large majority using legislation were suggested.
A brief consideration of Starmer’s seeming unpopularity. A number of
mistakes but also some positive policy moves were acknowledged in
the face of constant media attacks. The very large numbers of Labour
MPs from all parts of the Party along with the large majority seems to
have led to a lack of cohesion and brought about the present
instability.
It was decided not to speculate on the Andy Burnham situation at
present although it was noted that he has supported a move to PR in
the past. There should be more clarity at the next meeting.
Next Meeting on Wed 17th June at