Millions being ignored by ‘morally and politically bankrupt’ UK voting system, new report claims

‘It’s time for proportional representation and real democracy at Westminster,’ says analysis of December election

Analysis by the Electoral Reform Society suggests one in three ‘held their nose’ and voted tactically last December (Getty)

Almost half of the electorate were ignored at December’s general election due to a “morally and politically bankrupt” voting system, according to a new report demanding proportional representation.

The survey by the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) — an organisation campaigning against the existing first-past-the-post system — claims that 14.5 million people, or 45 per cent of all voters, cast a vote for a non-elected candidate.

“Of course, not every candidate or party can or should secure representation, but first past the post is brutal in denying millions of voters any representation at all,” the report said.

In their audit of the election — Voters Left Voiceless — and using data from pollsters YouGov, the ERS added that nearly one in three voters, or 32 per cent, “held their nose” and voted tactically, instead of choosing their preferred party or candidate.

Citing campaigns for tactical voting at the 2019 election, it added: “That these issues were key talking points reflects the dysfunctional nature of Westminster’s electoral system. Under proportional systems, tactical voting is far less of an issue: what you vote for is what you get.”

The organisation suggested that for Labour, the concentration of the party’s vote in certain areas meant that it took on average 50,835 votes to return a Labour MP — compared to 38,264 for a Tory MP.

The report added: “This vote concentration is also seen in the top 10 largest majorities, nine of which are Labour seats, where parties pile up votes with securing real representation.

“While the Conservative party is benefiting from Westminster’s voting system across the UK as a whole, in Scotland, a substantial Conservative vote share (25.1 per cent) yielded just six sears (10.2 per cent).”

The ERS added that smaller parties were “penalised” by the current system, despite an increase in vote share on 2017 in the first December election in almost a century.

“Smaller parties contesting seats spread across the whole of Great Britain — the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Brexit Party — continue to lose out,” the report said. “For the Liberal Democrats, an 11.5 per cent vote share across Britain resulted in just 1.6 per cent of the Commons seats.”

Dr Jess Garland, the director of research and policy at the ERS, said: “It is no wonder trust in politics is at rock bottom; the vast majority of people’s votes are being systematically ignored by a voting system that is morally and politically bankrupt.

“Westminster cannot go on like this — all parties must get behind reform of this broken system at long last. It’s time Westminster caught up with the rest of the UK and ensures seats in parliament reflect how people actually want to vote.

“No more ‘holding your nose’ tactical votes, ignored votes and warped results. This research exposes the scale of disenfranchisement that is happening under one-party-takes-all voting. Its time for proportional representation and real democracy at Westminster.”