Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake has warned that Britain's electoral laws must not be rewritten to serve the "political interests of Andy Burnham", following the Prime Minister's pledge to change the election system.
In an interview with the Sunday Express, Mr Hollinrake warned of how a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition could scrap the First Past the Post system for Westminster elections. He said: "They'd try and bring in proportional representation to try and make sure we never got a proper Conservative government ever again."
Labour's manifesto commitment
The Labour leader used his landmark conference speech to promise that Labour will go into the next election with a "manifesto commitment to change the electoral system so that everyone's vote counts".
Mr Burnham signalled that the biggest upheaval in how British democracy works in years could be on the way when he declared: "We will all have failed in our public duties if we carry on as we are and open the door of Number 10 to a divisive government on less than 30% of the vote."
He announced the creation of a "national commission on electoral reform" and invited other parties to join in its work.
'Unholy coalition' warning
Mr Hollinrake responded, saying: "Changing our electoral system to allow an unholy coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens to govern would be fundamentally wrong. First Past the Post has served this country for generations because it provides clear accountability for voters. They know who represents them, and they have the power to remove politicians who fail to deliver. It is straightforward and fair."
Referring back to the rejection of the Alternative Vote electoral system during the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, he said: "When the British people were given the opportunity to change the system in 2011, they rejected that change decisively. We should respect that verdict and trust voters, rather than rewrite the rules to suit the political interests of Andy Burnham."
Support for reform
However, Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: "Andy Burnham has long been a passionate advocate for proportional representation so that everyone's vote counts and everyone's voice is heard. This is an essential step to rebuilding trust in our politics, which is currently at record lows."
He said the new commission must be "an independent and trusted process that focuses on making sure Parliament properly reflects the way the country voted".
A spokesperson for the progressive campaigning group Compass said adopting proportional representation is the "only thing that will actually stop the malaise in British politics". The group fears Britain could "see a party with complete governing control on around 25% of the vote".
In the 2024 general election, Labour won 412 of Westminster's 650 seats with just 33.7% of the vote on a turnout of 59.8% of eligible voters. Reform UK won 14.3% of the vote but just five MPs were elected; the Liberal Democrats netted 12.2% of the vote but sent 72 MPs to Westminster.
