Voting reform not a priority for Labour, says Starmer
Sir Keir Starmer has said that electoral reform will not be a priority for a Labour government.
Taking questions after a speech in central London, the Labour leader played down any prospect of his party embarking on a project of electoral reform if it takes power after the next general election.
The local elections success, combined with the blow of losing 1,000 councillors for Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, has prompted speculation in Westminster about the shape of the next government.
Some are predicting that Labour could be forced into an alliance or a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, depending on the final share of seats in a general election.
That raises the prospect of the Liberal Democrats seeking changes to the UK’s first-past-the-post voting system in favour of a more proportional model.
Sir Keir indicated there would be limited space for voting reform amid the party’s plans in government.
“We’re going to have priorities coming into government, clear priorities. They are going to be the missions and I’m afraid voting reform is not one of the priorities.”
He said that Labour would have a “job and a half to do” in power, stressing he had set out his five missions and would be “absolutely focused on them”.
Labour has already set out a number of plans for constitutional reform and broader changes to governance across the UK, with the party committed to abolishing the House of Lords.
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He’s a crypto-conservative seeking, in the long term, to preserve the status quo.
Let’s not rock the boat or level the playing field eh Clark Kent, HM’s loyal leader of the loyal opposition. Soon to be the caretaker leader of the Right and Centre Party…
Clark Kent? He looks more like Max Headroom.
I’m still waiting for him to find his way out of the phonebox…
The clear red water between Wales and England deepens. Welsh Labour is committed to PR in the next Senedd elections. Mark Drakeford noted the UK Labour Conference voted overwhelmingly for PR in Westminster elections when he spoke at a meeting with Starmer. He may be the leader but the mood of the party is not with him on this. But then its not in his interests at the moment, is it?
It’s all well and good to rid ourselves of the House of Lords, but to replace it using a FPTP electoral system, still leaves us at the mercy of the two party system, and historically England have voted Tory, so without Indy, we will remain shafted, regardless of who is in the ” new” second chamber, as both Labour and Tory are unionist keep the status quo parties
Unless you’re in power for 13+ years as Tories have been then changing everything is incredibly difficult – there just isn’t the time for it. Heck, Universal Credit which was first mentioned at Tory party conference in 2010 as the great reform of benefit state isn’t expected to be rolled out until 2028/29. But that doesn’t mean you don’t change things. Keir appears to currently have small ambitions with regards to change, other than those which lock the left out of the Labour party of course. He currently appears more right than Biden in America. That is an issue. But… Read more »
All the more reason to vote Plaid.
Sorry Plaid’s Boat has sailed. We need new boy’s on the block. Gwlad Welsh Independence party.
I can’t see the point in gaining independence from right-wing English tories only to replace them with right-wing Welsh tories.
Where did you get Welsh Tories from? Fear of improvement. Dai Grenfell Labour MP and Father of the House along with Jim Griffiths MP first welsh secretary and Dr D J Davies founder of PC would be turning in their grave seeing what has become of Labour and PC. You cant get a sheet of toilet paper to separate them. And the Tories play bad cops to Labour playing good cops to keep Wales poor.
My point is that Gwlad is a right-wing party. What’s the point in replacing rule by one right-wing party (English tories) with another (admittedly far less rabid) right-wing party (Welsh Gwlad)?
You won’t rebuild trust in politics without introducing PR. Abolishing the House of Lords and then having an elected second chamber using FTTP means having the same wealthy peers mostly tory crooks back in a postition of power. Keir Starmer only believes in constitutional reform if it benefits Labour. The Tories have the same opinion only in interested in reform if it benefits them. FTTP means minority rule with goverments elected and voted out by those in marginal consituiencies.
It’s only when you’re given a choice between a tory government or a Starmer lead labour government you begin to understand just how far right UK politics has gone
That’s No choice.
yet, here we are.
How could anyone in Wales vote for this man and his Unionist shills?
Labour benefits just as much from FPTP as much as the Tories. They will never change it.
If there is a hung parliament and a coalition with the LibDems is on the cards – a vote on changing the voting system will be one of the bargaining points and so it should be. Starmer must put aside the selfish thoughts that Labour generally has with the Tories – “FPTP will keep us in power” and finally do what is right for the country. However, I feel it is now too late to change. Wales and Scotland will be independent in the near future.
What Labour don’t realise is that FPTP benefits the tories far more than Labour, the election results since 1945 show this with tories being in power for far longer than Labour. This is why UK politics is so far to the right. The only way out is independence.