Electoral reform is on the agenda again. As delegates gather this weekend for Labour’s annual conference, calls to change the voting system in general elections have topped the bill among grassroots local Labour parties for the second year running, while traditionally sceptical trade unions such as Unison and Unite now also support a change to Westminster voting rules.
The winds of change are also blowing beyond the conference fringes. British Social Attitudes data collected last year and published this week show the first public majority for electoral reform in the 40-year history of the survey. Just over half of voters now support change to the voting system, up over 20 points since the AV referendum was held a decade ago. Support for change among Labour voters has more than doubled in a decade from 27% to 61%.
