Two-thirds of Labour members want electoral reform commission – poll

Almost two-thirds of Labour members want to see the government hold a National Commission on electoral reform, exclusive polling for LabourList reveals.

An amendment to the government’s Representation of the People Bill, proposed by Labour MP Alex Sobel, calls for a body that would make recommendations for reform of the voting system to make it “fair, representative and sustains public confidence”.

More than a quarter of MPs, including 96 Labour representatives, have so far backed the amendment.

A poll for LabourList, conducted by Survation, found that 64 percent of party members would want to see Andy Burnham’s government adopt the amendment as part of the bill.

Only 16 percent would be opposed to government support for electoral reform, with one in five (20 percent) of members unsure.

The Representation of the People Bill, introduced into Parliament earlier this year, will grant the right to vote to 16 and 17-year-olds. Introduce more automated forms of voter registration, expand the list of accepted voter ID, and strengthen political finance controls.

Become a friend of LabourList and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events. 

Alex Sobel told LabourList: “Our voting system is woefully outdated with five-party politics and rapid technological advancement. First-past-the-post is a nineteenth-century system we urgently need to review and the National Commission does just that.

“Andy Burnham agrees, almost 100 Labour MPs agree, and now a majority of Labour members polled agree this is the best way forward.”

Survation, a member of the British Polling Council and a Market Research Society Partner, surveyed 812 readers of LabourList who also said they were Labour Party members between July 24 and 27.

Data was weighted to the profile of party members by age, sex, region and 2025 deputy leadership vote. Targets for weighting were drawn from the British Election Study and the results of the leadership and deputy leadership elections.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on TikTok, Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook. You can also write to our editor to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • BECOME A FRIEND: If you enjoyed this, why not consider becoming a Friend of LabourList? Help sustain our journalism, and of course Friends do get benefits…
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].