Prime Minister Andy Burnham's conference speech was refreshing and offered a clear plan, but his announcement of a national commission on electoral reform is a massive error that could be a disaster for the country, according to Express reporter Adam Toms.
Writing in an opinion piece, Toms praised much of the Prime Minister's address, including his "theory of growth" — which he called "Burnhamism" — and a proposed national care service that, if formed correctly, could cement Burnham's name in history like Aneurin Bevan. Toms also welcomed Burnham's statement that Brexit has done more harm than good and that the UK needs to improve its links with the European Union.
A departure from the past
Toms noted that Britain used to have political titans in charge who knew what they believed in, citing Harold Wilson's modern socialism of technological advancement and industrial planning, and Margaret Thatcher's focus on free markets and privatisation. He described Burnham's speech as a departure from predecessors who cared more about polling than making meaningful changes, even if those changes cost votes.
In his speech, Burnham outlined his theory of growth: "It starts by retaking control of the essentials that make a place work or not. You've got to have that control over the fundamental things that everybody needs. And from there you devolve more power to places to put them in charge and decide their own destiny. And then in doing those things we optimise the conditions for businesses to grow. And make sure we support our people so they are there for our business to employ."
Electoral reform concerns
However, Toms expressed concern about Burnham's announcement of a new national commission on electoral reform, with Labour contesting the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the voting system "so that everyone's vote counts and everyone's voice is heard".
Burnham said: "We can't succeed in the eyes of the world if we continue with the levels of political turbulence we have seen in recent times. It is always in my mind that I'm the seventh Prime Minister in ten years."
Toms countered that one of the functions of Britain's first past the post system is to provide stable governance, whereas proportional electoral systems often do not result in single-party majorities, leading to coalitions or minority governments. He cited the 2010 coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, which many claimed nobody had voted for, and noted that other systems can give smaller parties significant power with a relatively small percentage of the vote, allowing them to act as "kingmakers".
Markets desire certainty
Toms argued that Burnham's claim about opening the door to a divisive government on less than 30% of the vote does not chime with the risks of proportional representation. While a hung parliament looks likely after the next election, this is rarer under first past the post than under a new voting system.
He concluded that markets desire certainty above all else, and that having a constituency MP who is obliged to help constituents and represent their interests in Parliament is a great thing. Toms said Burnham has made a massive error, seemingly to boost his popularity with his own party members, and a change would be a disaster.
