There is an anti-Tory majority in Britain but we're struggling to hear it – is it time for electoral reform?

One day, the Tories will lose their majority and voting reform will be on the agenda. It would be better for parties to get a mandate for reform by promising it in their manifesto, rather than merely pledging to hold a referendum

This week saw local and mayoral elections across the UK (PA)

What a difference a year makes. At the general election, the Conservatives won 15 per cent of the votes in Scotland and got one MP. On Thursday, the Tories secured 23 per cent of the votes in the Scottish Parliament elections and 31 of its 129 seats. The SNP got just under half of the votes and the seats. Last year, it got half the votes and 95 per cent of the seats.

Similarly, Ukip won almost 4m votes at the general election and got a solitary MP. On Thursday, it won the same 13 per cent share of the vote in Wales and landed seven seats in the 60-seat assembly.

Why such wide differences? Thursday’s elections in Scotland and Wales produced a much fairer result because they were fought under proportional representation (PR). People had two votes – one for a constituency and another top-up regional list. The general election was fought under the “winner takes all” first-past-the-post system, which enabled the Conservatives to win an overall majority with 37 per cent of vote (and the support of just under one in four of the electorate).

Traditionally, first-past-the-post has suited both Labour and the Conservatives. In 2005, Tony Blair won an overall majority of 67 with just 35 per cent of the vote. But Labour’s defeats in 2010 and 2015 have produced stirrings in favour of PR as some of its MPs wonder whether it can win power under its own steam in the foreseeable future.

There are informal contacts between Labour and other opposition parties about reform. Jeremy Corbyn is relaxed about the talks; he is not committed to change but is open-minded. Converts to the cause include Chuka Umunna, who pulled out of last year’s Labour leadership race but could be a candidate in the next one. He has set up an all-party parliamentary group to press for reform.

The Liberal Democrats have nothing much more to lose but are wary, having been led up the garden path by Labour before. Tony Blair and Paddy Ashdown were serious about merging their two parties but their plan was swept away by Labour’s 1997 landslide.

It might take another crushing defeat for Labour to come out for PR. But the ground is shifting. It is not impossible to imagine that before long, Labour, the Lib Dems, the SNP, the Greens and Ukip will all be in favour of electoral reform, with only the Tories digging in against it as they try to prolong one-party rule.

One day, the Tories will lose their majority and voting reform will be on the agenda. It would be better for parties to get a mandate for reform by promising it in their manifesto, rather than merely pledging to hold a referendum. With hindsight, the Lib Dems know they were outmanoeuvred by the Tories in the 2010 Coalition negotiations, when they accepted a referendum on the limited alternative vote reform. The proposal was rejected by a 2-1 margin after a ruthless Tory campaign which attacked Nick Clegg for decisions taken in the Coalition like raising university tuition fees.

There is an anti-Tory majority in Britain but it would be easier for it to find its voice if we had a fair votes. Pressure is building: a timely Make Votes Matter rally takes place in London on Saturday. The biggest lesson of Thursday’s elections is that our archaic, broken first-past-the-post system should be consigned to the scrapheap.