Local and devolved elections this week are expected to reveal fragmented party allegiances that the first-past-the-post system cannot fairly represent, according to a Guardian editorial. The system, used for English local authorities, is ill-suited to a multiparty landscape where four or five parties have poll ratings between the high teens and high twenties. The average winner's vote share in last year's local elections was just 40.7%, the lowest on record, with about 75 candidates elected on less than 30%.
Scottish councils use the single transferable vote system, where voters rank candidates and seats are awarded by eliminating the least popular. Devolved parliaments in Edinburgh and Cardiff use different systems designed for fairer representation, though each has flaws. The Welsh Senedd will trial a closed proportional list system this year, allocating seats proportionally within large constituencies, but it may exclude smaller parties and independents.
The editorial argues that no electoral system is perfect, but Britain's current arrangement is plainly unsuitable. In 2024, Labour won a huge Commons majority with barely more than a third of national votes, a brittle victory. If multiparty competition continues, the next election could produce perverse results, undermining the integrity of British democracy.
