Should the Tories and Labour agree to implement PR to stop Farage becoming PM in the next election?

[JeremyVineyard]

There is a very real likelihood that Farage will win the next election Partly because of this countries outdated, first past the post election system.

Under PR(Proportional Representation) parties will usually get the same percentage of seats as their percentage of the vote.

With the electorate split 3 or 4 ways and a lot of people too disillusioned to vote, he could become PM with as little as 20% or 25% of the vote under first past the post.

Under PR Reform would get 20/25% of the vote and therefore get 20/25% of the seats.

If the Tories and Labour support a referendum on PR it will likely be passed as the other smaller parties will support it.

It may mean that the Tories and Labour need to form a coalition after the next election and while this may be hard to swallow, it would be for the greater good to stop the far right getting into power.
The Tories and Labour are both fairly centrist parties anyway so it makes more sense than the Tories and Reform getting into bed together.

I think we should implement PR because it's a fairer system.

I agree with Zonder but it doesn't mean that Farage won't get in.

that would require the political parties to actually listen to someone outside of their echo chamber.

I think Badenoch will be ousted and Jenrick will move closer to Reform.

I think neither party will want to implement a system they’ve argued against for ages because it will be blatantly obvious they are doing it because they think it will now benefit them, and before they thought it wouldn’t. Farage will make a massive deal of this, and shout about how desperately the established parties are trying to cling to their hold on the electoral system and how now more than ever people need to vote for the non-establishment non-elite (ha!) Farage. And Reform’s vote will go up, framed as “vote against this establishment stitch up that is trying to take away your voting power because they think they know better”.

First past the post makes it less likely for smaller parties to get an overall majority abd be PM.

I agree with PR full stop.

I think the Emperor’s new clothes will be well and truly sussed by the time of the next GE, after 4 years of Reform councils.

I think OP’s concern is that, based on polling and local election results, Reform may not be a small party for very long.

There has been discussion about PR on the radio given the split between parties. It might become more difficult to function when we move too far from a two party system.

Labour and conservative united, god help us, both in power together, the average British citizen will be annihilated into poverty quicker than they can blink!

But if the Conservatives and Reform form a coalition then would you be happy with that?

Labour if this current rate is maintained will poll lower than Reform and the Conservatives have more ideology in common with Reform- the Tory voters would never forgive them for a pact with Labour.

We voted on PR under lib/con coalition. Seems people didn’t understand it! Of course we should have it but it normally benefits smaller parties. Depends on system chosen though. STV is probably better. FPTP does often shut out smaller parties - eg UKIP who got 4 million votes and 2 seats I think. However if enough lab and con voters defect, who knows? Yet more idiots in control?

Personally, no, I still wouldn’t be happy. I think we’re replacing shit with shit, reform will become just like it two big brothers….useless and again, not for the average British citizen.

Tories and labour Jeremy vineyard above nothing with labour as part of it would make me vote for them I might vote for reform or Tories Reform talking about getting rid of diversity jobs working from home now that sounds like the kind of decision making we need Do these diversity employees really contribute much

PR is wonderful (coming from somewhere that has PR in one of its purest forms). People are invested in politics and really feel they can make a difference, for better or for worse (a far right party has performed really well in the last two general elections) but there is little voter apathy, and people make it their business to keep up in a rapidly changing dynamic political landscape. The British public deserves proper PR!

PR would potentialy deliver Reform more seats not fewer!

I don't think Reform will win the next GE whatever the voting system.

We sort of did. It was AV which isn’t fully PR.

There are many flavours of PR.
The one I am most familiar with is the one in Ireland where the number of seats you get is close to the percentage of votes you get.
In that system 25% of the votes won't give you a majority, under FPTP, it could very well give a majority especially if the vote is split across 3/4 parties.

It's a no brainer. Labour will get locked out of politics for over a decade if they don't introduce electoral reform. They are probably so out of touch with the electorate that they think they have a chance at winning a second term.

PR makes sense, the Tories can rebalance, and Labour can happily split. And the plebs will at least feel as if they have some representation.

AV isn’t PR at all. The number of MPs each party has will still bear no relation to the % of votes.

I think if Farage got in power there will be anarchy.

Well quite, but to fair to the OP it was touted as PR when the referendum was publicised. I’m a member of the Electoral Reform Society and I live in Wales where our next election in 2026 will be PR.

Wil be interesting to see what happens in Wales in 2026. I’d like to think they have more sense than to vote in Reform but who knows.

Polling gives Labour a narrow lead over Reform. There is not much in it. Very worrying.

STV is a better form of PR than FPTP. It gives a chance for second preferences which FPTP doesn’t. Party list does the PR job well but we like constituency MPs. We could have a mix of FPTP and party list and have bigger constituencies. STV is probably the best system.

We would need to accept coalitions though and that’s been seen as unfavourable here. Horse trading, not sticking to your principles, getting into bed with your enemies and all sorts of unacceptable connotations have been expressed. We don’t like it. People do not give up simplicity easily.

The majority of the population are not racist arseholes. Play to them, not move to the far right.

Labour priorities are weird like breakfast clubs is that open to all the children in a school Couldn't they just give toast to the ones who are genuinely hungry In this area cycle paths are more important than fixing all the potholes and very uneven pavements I think anarchy much more likely with labour continuing in power they just don't seem to sort out the important things Maybe there should be showers in schools where the children sent to school stinking could be given the chance to clean up These children go through school uniform helped