Your editorial on Britain's multiparty politics and the need for the Westminster voting system to catch up summarises the position perfectly. But what about a solution?
Fortunately, this has been addressed by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for fair elections. Since its formation a few months after the 2024 general election, it has become Westminster's largest APPG. More than half of its 159 members are Labour MPs, but it also includes Liberal Democrats, Greens, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, an independent, and a Conservative vice-chair.
The APPG is calling for the government to urgently establish a national commission on electoral reform, with ready-made terms of reference outlining how to proceed. Expectations are that the commission could report as soon as 15 months after a decision to appoint it.
It is vital that the commission should consult widely with voting system experts and with a forum of voters, not just with politicians, who regrettably tend to have vested interests in electoral arrangements that benefit their party above others. This time, we need a voting system that serves citizens first and foremost. This is now within our grasp, and we need it more than anything else in politics.
Michael Bursill
Reigate, Surrey
