Andy Burnham will be ordered by Labour MPs to change Britain’s voting system via the back door as Parliament returns next week.
In a move that sidelines the British public, nearly 100 Labour backbenchers are set to push the Prime Minister to introduce a national commission on scrapping first past the post (FPTP) in his first week back at Westminster after the summer break.
FPTP sees the candidate with the most votes in each constituency becoming the MP, but fringe parties have long argued the system is unfair as electoral success is not based on vote share overall.
Mr Burnham will now face a coordinated push from backbenchers to launch a commission into dropping FPTP in his first 100 days as PM.
MPs have demanded the commission report back before the next election – and are driving for electoral reform to then be included in Labour’s next manifesto.
Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, has tabled an amendment that would launch the commission to the Representation of the People Bill.
The amendment has now been backed by more than 180 MPs, of whom 98 are Labour.
Andy Burnham Sadiq Khan and Pat McFadden, stacking shelves at a Sainsbury’s store in Nine Elms
Andy Burnham pictured in the House of Commons before the summer recess
Labour’s Mike Reader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There was a referendum over a decade ago on a very specific type of a very specific voting system, which, quite frankly, was run in a very bad way by the campaign for change, and people didn’t understand it.
‘What we’ve got now is there is a mandate amongst Labour MPs. There is a mandate amongst MPs generally, and there is a mandate across the public for looking at this.
‘The polling shows there is an overwhelming majority for some form of electoral reform, right through from Nigel Farage in reform, right through to Labour MPs like me.’
‘I wouldn’t want the public to go through another referendum,’ he added.
Mr Sobel, meanwhile, told the Guardian: ‘We know a majority of MPs back this proposal, including a majority of Labour MPs.
‘I know the prime minister is committed to reforming our electoral system and I and all the MPs who signed this amendment want to work with him to set the UK on a road towards fair, modern general elections.’
The legislation will return to Parliament on September 2 for its final stages, the day after Parliament resumes for its Autumn session.
The former Manchester Mayor has long advocated for a form of proportional representation (PR), where seats gained in Parliament reflect the number of votes cast.
And Mr Burnham said at last year’s Labour conference that he supported ‘a manifesto commitment to a system of proportional representation to be introduced into Westminster elections at the next parliament’.
He said separately that ‘there is nothing more unstoppable than an idea whose time has come, and PR’s time has come’.
A Labour source said: ‘The Representation of the People Bill has been designed to deliver our manifesto commitments on votes at 16 and strengthen political donation rules to guard against foreign interference, and that’s what the government is prioritising.
‘Andy remains strongly committed to electoral reform, and has indicated this is a matter for a future party manifesto, given a mandate would need to be secured for it.’
Paul Holmes, shadow minister for housing, communities and local government, said: ‘This is a settled issue. In 2011, the British public rejected electoral reform.
‘It seems Burnham and Rayner are now pandering to their left-wing backbenchers, with figures like Miatta Fahnbulleh, now in Burnham’s Cabinet, still pushing for proportional representation.
‘First Past the Post works. The Government should be focused on stopping the boats and cutting our bloated welfare bill, rather than appeasing their lefty MPs.’
