electoral systems

• Starmer is facing a wave of pressure from within the Labour Party to back electoral reform for UK elections with more than 100 delegates issuing motions of support at a party conference on Liverpool
• the Unite union, Labours biggest donor voted to support proportional representation in 2021
• the workers union passed a motion condemning FPTP in 2022 as did Unison (the largest union by membership)
• there are reports that Labour and the Lib Dem's have embarked on a non-aggression pact in the 2024 elections - this is logical for labour as the Lib Dems are set to target 30 conservative constituencies
• FPTP can be seen as particularly harmful to the centre left. while there is only one major right wing party there are far more established left wing parties causing the labour vote to be split
• a paper candidate is a candidate run by a party where its chances of winning are low to non existent
• in 2015 the conservative manifesto committed to a Brexit referendum. the Labour Party rejected this but did agree to have a referendum should the EU try to take more power
• turnout in 2015 was up by 1 million from 2010 at 65%
• in the 2015 election turnout in Scotland increased by 10% up to 70%
• in the 2015 election 75% of the vote was wasted meaning that 22 million peoples vote didn't make a difference in the election
• half the votes in the 2015 election went to loosing candidates
• ukip overtook the liberal democrats in 2015 gaining 15% of the vote
• in the 2015 election the liberal democrats vote share fell from 24% to 8.2% in England
• the 2015 election saw the most combined votes to minor parties ever at 19%
• the 1997 election is a clear example of FPTP advantaging larger parties with a concentrated vote with labour benefiting from their urban vote concentration
• in the 1997 election 150 MP's lost their seats including 133 conservatives