Electoral Reform in Britain

The Jenkins Commission

What is the Jenkins Commission?

•The Independent Commission on the Voting System•Appointed by Tony Blair and chaired by Lord Jenkins of Hillhead•Recommended an alternative system to FPTP or plurality-rule system for general elections

Terms of Reference for the Commission

To recommend an alternative system that would1. Offer greater voter choice

2. Deliver stable government

3. Maintain constituency links

4. Produce broadly proportional results

The Commission recommended the

AV-PLUS SYSTEM

AV-PLUS EXPLAINED

Electors would cast their first vote for the constituency candidate

under the alternative vote system

80 to 85% of MPs would be elected in this way as

constituency MPs

And also …

Electors would cast a second ‘party’ vote

In this way some 98 to 132 ‘top-up’MPs would be elected

15 – 20% of the seats

RATIONALE

•The first vote ensures an MP with strong constituency links

•The top-up party vote introduces a greater level of proportionality

TOP-UP MPs

•elected from counties and metropolitan districts in English, Scottish and Welsh Euro-constituency areas

•65 areas in England, 8 in Scotland, 5 in Wales and 2 in Northern Ireland

Advantages of Local Top-Up Areas

•Reduces central party control of choice of candidates

•Provides local accountability

•Provides a local link for top-up MPs

OBJECTIONS TO AV• AV can produce more disproportional results

than FPTP (as it would have done in 1997). It gives too much weight to ‘lower grade’ second and third and perhaps further choices

• Furthermore it is overly complicated and makes no sense as governments are elected with a minority of the vote in the UK

• The plus part hands even more power to the party bosses

Likelihood of Reform?• This was originally a 1997 manifesto

commitment. Jenkins is a senior political figure with links to both Labour and the Liberal Democrats. He is, therefore, difficult to ignore especially as his recommendations seem to meet most of the criteria set out by Blair.

• However, there is no real support for reform either within the PLP or the Cabinet. Indeed key Ministers are very hostile to any prospect of change.

• Whilst Labour has no need to look to the Lib – Dems for support it could be that the chances for change are limited.

JENKINS CONCLUDES

Our recommendations would have produced single party majority

government in three out of the last four elections … It is therefore difficult to argue that what we propose is a recipe either for a predominance of coalitions

or for producing a weakness of government authority.