Do most people in the UK want electoral reform?

Yes. Polling consistently shows around 60% of the public support switching from First Past the Post to a form of proportional representation. Support is highest among Lib Dem and Green voters, but also a majority of Labour and Reform voters.

How distorted were the 2024 UK election results?

Significantly. Labour won 33.7% of the vote but 63% of seats (412). Reform UK won 14.3% of the vote but only 0.8% of seats (5). Under strict proportional representation, Labour would have had roughly 219 seats and Reform UK around 93.

Which parties support proportional representation?

The Liberal Democrats, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru all formally back PR. Labour has a review underway but no firm commitment. The Conservatives and Reform UK oppose changing the voting system.

Does the UK already use proportional representation anywhere?

Yes. Scotland uses AMS (Additional Member System) for Holyrood elections. Wales uses AMS for Senedd elections. The London Assembly uses AMS. Northern Ireland uses STV for its Assembly. The UK already runs multiple electoral systems simultaneously.

What is the latest polling on the UK's appetite for electoral system change?

May 2026 polling on electoral reform shows: 48% of UK adults say they would vote Yes in a referendum on PR (various formulations), 31% would vote No, and 21% are undecided. Support has grown from approximately 37% in 2011 (the AV referendum year) partly due to the rise of parties like Reform UK and the Greens that are systematically disadvantaged by FPTP. Among under-35s, support reaches 62%. Among over-65s, only 34% support PR. The partisan breakdown: Greens (89%), Reform UK (65%), Lib Dems (78%), Labour (51%), Conservative (32%) support change.

What forms of proportional representation are used elsewhere in the UK?

Outside Westminster, the UK already uses multiple proportional systems. The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd use the Additional Member System (AMS/MMP): constituency MPs elected by FPTP plus regional list MSPs/Senedd members providing proportionality. The Northern Ireland Assembly uses Single Transferable Vote (STV). London Assembly elections use AMS. European Parliament elections used regional party list PR until Brexit. Local council elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland use STV. This patchwork demonstrates that PR works in UK political contexts and has broad acceptance — the specific barrier to Westminster reform is political will from major parties that benefit from FPTP.

Polling · Analysis · Reform

Electoral Reform in the UK

60% of the public back proportional representation. The 2024 election exposed FPTP’s deepest distortions yet. This is where the debate stands.

60%

Support PR

14.3%

Reform Vote Share

Reform Seats 2024

61%

Want Elected Lords

2024: Actual Seats vs Proportional Seats

Under strict proportional representation, the 2024 result would have looked radically different. 650 total seats distributed by vote share.

Sources: Electoral Commission 2024 results. Proportional seats calculated from national vote share × 650.

The Case for Reform

The 2024 general election delivered the most disproportionate result in British electoral history. Labour won 412 seats — a 174-seat majority — on just 33.7% of the vote. Reform UK, with 14.3% of the national vote (around 4 million votes), won 5 seats. The Liberal Democrats won more seats on fewer votes.

The arithmetic is stark: each Reform UK seat required 845,000 votes. Each Labour seat required around 23,600 votes. The system’s defenders argue it produces strong governments; critics argue it makes millions of votes effectively meaningless.

Polling by YouGov, Survation and the Electoral Reform Society consistently shows approximately 60% of British adults support moving to a proportional system — a number that has grown since the 2024 result.

Party Positions on Electoral Reform

Labour: Under review. Gordon Brown’s commission recommended PR. Keir Starmer has not committed. Some backbenchers openly back change.

Conservatives: Oppose any reform. FPTP has delivered Tory majorities. Kemi Badenoch has ruled out supporting PR.

Reform UK: Officially oppose reform. They benefit from FPTP criticism but fear PR could entrench a Lab-LD coalition permanently.

Lib Dems: Strongly back STV proportional representation. Electoral reform is a core party commitment since the party’s founding.

Greens: Support PR. Won 4 seats on 6.7% of the vote in 2024 — proportionally they would have had 43+ seats.

SNP: Back PR for Westminster elections. Already experience AMS at Holyrood. See FPTP as a structural disadvantage.

FPTP vs Proportional Representation: Key Differences

Feature	First Past the Post	Proportional Representation
Seats reflect votes?	No — majority of votes can be “wasted”	Yes — seats closely match vote shares
Government stability	Usually strong single-party majorities	Often coalition governments
Small parties	Severely disadvantaged	Represented fairly
Tactical voting	Common — voters often vote to stop a party	Less necessary
Local MP link	Every constituency has one MP	Varies by system (STV keeps local link)
Used in UK?	Westminster general elections	Scotland, Wales, London, NI devolved elections

Who Backs Proportional Representation? Polling by Demographic

Support for PR varies significantly by age, current voting intention, and region. YouGov and Survation polls from 2024–2026 show a clear generational divide.

Group	Support PR	Oppose PR	Don't know	Key finding
18–24	73%	11%	16%	Strongest cohort for reform — experienced only one election under FPTP
25–49	66%	18%	16%	Two-thirds majority; frustrated tactical voters driving this
50–64	55%	27%	18%	Majority back PR but with a significant minority defending FPTP
65+	44%	36%	20%	Only group where support falls below 50%; longest FPTP attachment
Lib Dem voters	91%	4%	5%	Near-unanimous; party policy since 1988
Green voters	88%	5%	7%	Won 6.7% of votes but 0.6% of seats in 2024 — acutely felt
Reform UK voters	62%	21%	17%	High support despite official party opposition; voters feel cheated by FPTP
Labour voters	57%	22%	21%	Majority back PR; leadership reluctance creates a disconnect
Conservative voters	32%	48%	20%	Only voter group where a plurality oppose PR; aligned with party position

Sources: YouGov, Survation, Electoral Reform Society polls 2024–2026. Figures are approximate averages across multiple surveys.

If May 2026 Polls Became a General Election: FPTP vs PR

Current polling (Reform 28%, Conservatives 19%, Labour 18%, Greens 15%, Lib Dems 13%) would produce radically different parliaments depending on the voting system used.

Party	Poll Share (May 2026)	FPTP Est. Seats	Pure PR Seats	FPTP vs PR
Reform UK	28%	~230–280	182	+48 to +98 (FPTP)
Conservatives	19%	~80–120	124	Broadly fair
Labour	18%	~160–200	117	+43 to +83 (FPTP)
Greens	15%	~8–15	98	−83 to −90 (FPTP)
Lib Dems	13%	~45–70	85	−15 to −40 (FPTP)
Others (SNP, PC, etc.)	7%	~30–45	44	Mixed; SNP benefits from FPTP in Scotland

Key takeaway: Under current polling, FPTP would still give Labour a disproportionate seat bonus due to geographic concentration of support — despite falling to 18%. Reform UK, polling first at 28%, would face a seat ceiling due to its votes being spread evenly across England rather than concentrated in clusters. The Greens, polling 15%, would win almost no seats. Under PR, no single party comes close to a majority; government would require a two or three-party coalition.

FPTP estimates based on Electoral Calculus modelling methodology. PR seats = vote share × 650. Figures are illustrative projections, not exact predictions.

Public Support for PR: Trend Since 2011 AV Referendum

The 2011 AV referendum saw 67.9% vote No. But support for changing the voting system has climbed substantially since — driven by the perceived unfairness of the 2019 and 2024 results.

Date	Support PR	Oppose PR	Context
May 2011	32%	68%	AV referendum lost. Note: AV is not PR.
2015	47%	30%	Conservatives won 36.9% of votes, 51% of seats
2019	52%	28%	Brexit Party won 2% → 0 seats; anger around seat distortion
Post-July 2024	61%	21%	Labour 33.7% → 63% of seats; Reform 14.3% → 0.8%
May 2026	~60%	22%	Reform leads national polls; FPTP blocking mechanism increasingly debated

House of Lords Reform: Where Does Public Opinion Stand?

61%

Want elected Lords

72%

Say Lords reform needed

800+

Current Lords (unelected)

Labour’s House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2024 removed the remaining 92 hereditary peers — fulfilling a Labour manifesto pledge from 1997. But this left intact the fundamental structure: an unelected second chamber of over 800 appointed and reformed peers.

Polling by YouGov consistently finds that around 61% of the public believe the House of Lords should be fully or largely elected. A further 11% favour abolition. Only 14% favour keeping an entirely appointed Lords.

Labour has committed to a further review of Lords reform. However, replacing a fully appointed chamber is constitutionally complex — and ministers have repeatedly indicated it is not a priority in the current parliament. Critics argue that removing hereditary peers while retaining party-political appointment by the Prime Minister has done little to address the democratic deficit.

Explore Electoral Reform Topics

Proportional Representation Explained

List PR, STV, AMS, d’Hondt — how PR systems work and which countries use them. UK regions already use PR.

The Mathematics of Unfairness

How 2024 and current polls expose FPTP’s deepest distortions. Reform 14.3% → 5 seats. The numbers explained.

Votes at 16: The Case For and Against

52% support lowering the voting age. Scotland and Wales already do it. What polling shows about 16-17 year-old political views.

House of Lords Reform

61% want an elected upper chamber. Labour’s partial reform plans. What happens to the Lords next.

UK Swing Calculator

Enter two poll readings and calculate the uniform swing between parties — and estimate seat changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the 2024 election compare to a proportional result?

Under strict PR (vote share × 650 seats), Labour would have received approximately 219 seats rather than 412. Reform UK would have had around 93 seats rather than 5. The Greens would have had over 43 seats rather than 4. The Liberal Democrats would have had roughly 78 seats — close to their actual 72, reflecting how their concentrated support partly works under FPTP.

Has the UK ever voted on changing its electoral system?

Yes — once. In May 2011, a referendum was held on switching to the Alternative Vote (AV) system. The No campaign won 67.9% to 32.1%. Critics note that AV is not proportional, and the result does not directly map onto support for PR.

Why does Scotland use a different voting system?

Scotland’s Holyrood Parliament uses AMS, a form of proportional representation. This was a deliberate design choice when devolution was established in 1999 — specifically to make it harder for any one party to dominate the parliament and to ensure a range of parties could win seats.

What is the Electoral Reform Society?

The Electoral Reform Society (ERS) is the UK’s oldest campaigning organisation for voting system change. Founded in 1884, it advocates for proportional representation and publishes regular research on the disproportionality of FPTP results.