MPs from the Labour, Liberal Democrat, Reform UK and Green parties have pressured the government to pursue reform of the “broken” First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system.

In a House of Commons debate on Thursday, led by Labour MP and Fair Elections APPG chair Alex Sobel, the government was told that FPTP is “unfair” and risks undermining trust in politics.

Sobel told the House: “The truth is [FPTP] is failing on its own terms. It’s becoming less and less representative and producing more and more random results. More outliers, more MPs elected [by] less than 30 per cent of their constituents.”

Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “We have the most unrepresentative parliament in living memory. We have a situation where the governing party [won] about 34 per cent of the votes cast, but 63 per cent of the seats in this great House.”

Labour MP Luke Akehurst said: “The party that gets a massive boost in seats from [FPTP] in one election may get a disproportionate kicking from the electorate in terms of the seats that the system delivers in another.

“The volatility of the modern electorate makes that particularly pertinent.”

Liberal Democrat MP and Fair Elections APPG vice-chair Lisa Smart said: “[FPTP] is a system that no longer functions as a fair or effective mechanism for translating the will of the electorate into parliamentary representation.

“It is collapsing under its own weight, and the time has come to take the first step in addressing this failure with the establishment of a national commission for electoral reform.”

Green Party MP Siân Berry said: “We have a society vulnerable to being exploited by populist division and tyranny, and [FPTP] adds to these risks.

“Those who seek to distort our national conversation from outside politics, using money and influence to pursue their own agenda, can see dangled in front of them the huge prize of what is virtually absolute power if they can achieve the slimmest of margins to reach first place in a volatile system.”

In his contribution, Labour MP Andrew Lewin focused on how the parties can “build consensus for electoral reform” and a potential timeframe that is “both desirable and realistic.”

He said: “One of the things I think we must avoid is the spectacle of a new Westminster government winning power and then legislating quickly to change the system if they believe it to be in their self-interest.”

He added: “So where does that lead us? I’m afraid inevitably to a referendum.”

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “This system leaves millions of voices unheard. It creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

The Conservative Party spokesperson, Paul Holmes, disagreed with previous contributions. He said: “We should not trade a proven system [FPTP] for one that prioritises theoretical fairness over practical effectiveness.

“The challenges we face as a country demand strong leadership, clear accountability, and a system that works for the people.”

The minister on duty, Rushanara Ali, confirmed that the government has “no plans to change the voting system” for elections to the House of Commons “at this time”.

She added: “The [FPTP] system, while not perfect, provides for… a direct relationship between members of parliament and their local constituency.”

Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

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Nick Thomas-Symonds has said Labour’s proposal to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords is “long overdue”.

Speaking in the commons second reading debate on the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Reform Bill, the paymaster general channeled former prime minister Herbert Asquith when he argued the legislation would create “a more perfect attainment.”

Thomas-Symonds said: “There should not be places in our parliament making our laws reserved for those who are born into certain families.

“In fact, we are one of only two countries that still retain that hereditary element in our legislatures — a clear sign the time has come to see through this long overdue change.”

He added: “On the 21st of February 1911, when the then-prime minister, Herbert Asquith, moved the second reading of what became the landmark Parliament Act of 1911, he said this: ‘We present it to the House as the first and most urgent step towards a more perfect attainment’.

“I present this bill, over a century later, in the same spirit.”

The Conservative Party spokesperson, Sir Oliver Dowden, spoke critically of the proposed legislation, saying that the House of Lords as it is currently composed “works”.

He told MPs: “The British constitution is not codified. If establishing a new country from scratch, one might choose not to craft such a system. But we are proud to be an old country, not a new one.

“The checks and balances of the Lords — its tried and tested conventions — work. The Lords does not claim to be a democratic chamber and that is the key point.”

The former deputy prime minister added: “The British constitution does and should continue to evolve. But we should only fix what is broken and be cautious about rushing into change.”

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On Monday evening, MPs debated proposals that would allow parliament to ban those from the estate who have been charged with sexual or violent crimes.

Initially, a House of Commons commission proposed a risk assessment would take place on whether an MP should be prevented from attending the parliamentary estate if they were arrested on suspicion of committing such an offence.

In turn, concerns have been raised that the measures have been watered down.

Shadow leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell said in the debate: “We’ve come a long way in addressing the culture and bad behaviour in parliament. Setting a proper framework for the risk based exclusion of members is an essential, if limited step in this journey”.

Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg objected to the measures on the ground that they are “unconstitutional”.

Arguing that any expulsion from the commons must flow from a vote of MPs, Sir Jacob said: “The problem with this motion is that it is simply unconstitutional. If we want to go down this route, we need to legislate for it.”

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The government’s Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill cleared its final House of Commons stages today, with 285 MPs voting in favour of the legislation at third reading and 218 MPs voting against.

The legislation would place the North Sea Transition Authority under a duty to run annual applications for new offshore oil and gas licences.

The bill will now continue its journey through parliament in the House of Lords.

Speaking in the commons third reading debate today, energy security and net zero minister Graham Stuart said: “This bill is about ensuring a smooth and orderly transition [to net zero]. New licences under this bill will manage the decline in domestic oil and gas production rather than increase production above current levels.

“And they will give industry certainty. Sending a strong signal to support continued investment in the sector. Investment that is necessary both for our energy security and to help deliver the energy transition”.

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The government’s bid to maximise North Sea oil and gas production has cleared its first House of Commons hurdle as MPs backed the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill by 293 votes to 211.

A majority of 82 MPs backed the legislation despite the criticism voiced by some on the Conservative benches, including former COP26 president Sir Alok Sharma.

Speaking in the debate, Sharma, who did not vote for the bill, said: “Today, we have a bill before this House, the sole purpose of which is to double down on granting more oil and gas production licences.

“I do not believe, and it pains me to say this, that this bill will advance [the UK’s] commitment to transition away from fossil fuels”.

Shadow minister Dr Alan Whitehead said “If passed, [the bill] will linger on the statute book for a short period. It will make no difference to anything in the meantime and will be rapidly overtaken by the reality of the forward march of decarbonisation in energy”.

However, defending the legislation, climate minister Graham Stuart said: “This Bill is designed to send a signal to the industry that we have their back.

“This bill is all about ensuring that we get to net zero in the most efficient, effective manner possible and it will underpin this government’s continued leadership on climate for now and many years to come”.

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MPs are today debating the government’s Safety of Rwanda Bill at its second commons reading as prime minister Rishi Sunak seeks to diffuse a backbench rebellion over the proposals.

Opening the debate for the government, home secretary James Cleverly said: “This government is stopping the boats, arrivals are down by a third this year as illegal entries are on the rise elsewhere in Europe”.

He added: “Of course, of course this government respects court judgements even when we disagree with them. But parliament and the British people want an end to illegal immigration and they support the Rwanda plan”.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper responded: “This should be a debate about how we prevent life being lost, about how we strengthen our border security, about how we stop dangerous boat crossings, and how we fix the broken asylum system. Instead, we’ve just got total Tory chaos.

“It is time to end all of this chaos. Time to ditch the gimmicks. Time for the government to get a grip”.

Why the Conservative Party still can’t break free from the ERG

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In the House of Commons yesterday, MPs voted to establish a compensatory body for victims of the infected blood scandal.

Despite the government issuing a three-line whip to vote down the proposal, an amendment tabled by Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson was voted through on a majority of 246 to 242.

The government had intended to wait until the statutory inquiry finishes to introduce a compensatory scheme, which is likely to happen next year.

It is Rishi Sunak’s first defeat as prime minister, having been in office for over a year.

Among the Conservative rebels were Sir Robert Buckland, Rehman Chishti, Tracey Crouch, Marcus Fysh, Damian Green, Sir Julian Lewis, Andrea Jenkyns, Tim Loughton and Chloe Smith.

In total, 22 Conservatives voted against the government, alongside 160 Labour MPs, as well as the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and other smaller parties.

Speaking in the debate, Dame Diana said: “Many of those who’ve spent decades campaigning for justice are no longer alive. It’s almost eight months now since April this year, when Sir Brian Langstaff published the Infected Blood Enquiry’s final recommendations on compensation.

“He stated, ‘My conclusion is that wrongs were done at individual, collective and systemic levels'”.

Dame Diana added: “How disappointing it is that [this] government is mounting a very hard three-line whip operation to defeat these amendments and new clauses. It is shocking when ministers have stood at that despatch box and said very clearly that they accept the moral case for compensation. Well, if they accept the moral case for compensation, now is the time. Do the right thing.”

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Last night, MPs voted on amendments to the King’s Speech as dozens of Labour rebels backed an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

In total, eight Labour frontbenchers including Jess Phillips resigned from the Labour frontbench in order to do so.

One of the rebels, former shadow home office minister Naz Shah, told the House: “For the people of Palestine, every minute, every hour, every day we wait is another orphan, another grieving mother and another family wiped out”.

Imran Hussein, who resigned from the Labour frontbench earlier this month over the party’s position on a ceasefire in Gaza, said: “[Without a ceasefire] the desperately needed aid and assistance, the food, water, fuel and medicine that Palestinians urgently need and cry out for will not be able to safely enter Gaza”.

Other Labour rebels such as Jess Phillips, who resigned last night as shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, did not speak in the debate.

Introducing the SNP motion calling for a ceasefire, the party’s home affairs spokesperson Alison Thewliss said: “If we do not strive for peace, we condemn another generation in Palestine and Israel to a cycle of violence, to death and destruction beyond imagination”.

56 Labour MPs voted for the SNP amendment to the King’s Speech on Wednesday night.

The 10 frontbench resignations were as follows:

• Paula Barker, Shadow Minister for devolution and the English Regions
• Rachel Hopkins, Shadow Minister for Veterans
• Afzal Khan, Shadow Minister for Legal Aid of the United Kingdom
• Sarah Owen, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Faith
• Jess Phillips, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding
• Yasmin Qureshi, Shadow Minister for International Development
• Naz Shah, Shadow Minister for Crime Reduction
• Andy Slaughter, Shadow Solicitor General
• Dan Carden, Parliamentary Private Secretary
• Mary Foy, Parliamentary Private Secretary

In total, MPs voted 293 to 125 – a majority 168 – to reject the SNP’s amendment calling for “all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

‘I must vote with my constituents, my head, and my heart’ – Jess Phillips’ resignation letter in full

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The House of Commons today debated the spending of the Ministry of Justice on HM Prison and Probation Service.

Speaking in the debate Labour MP John McDonnell detailed: “On one estimate – this is just on one estimate – we lost during that period, 100,000 years of professional experience built up over decades”.

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The House of Commons today held a general debate on UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy.

Speaking in the debate, Labour MP Darren Jones said: “Let us seize this opportunity of modernisation and reform, remembering this is about people and our country. We can put the technology revolution at the heart of our political agenda, our vision for a modern, reformed Britain. A strong, successful and sustainable economy. A technology revolution that works in the interests of the British people. A Britain that is upgraded so that it works once again.

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The House of Commons today debated an opposition motion on rising mortgage rates.

Speaking in the debate, chief secretary to the Treasury John Glen said: “History and the best economic insight we have today tells us that the best way we can beat inflation is to stick to our plan, backing the Bank of England’s monetary policy decisions”.

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The House of Commons today heard a backbench business debate on the inflected blood scandal.

Speaking in the debate, SNP MP Philippa Whitford said: “I would love to think that this could be the last debate needed to achieve justice for victims of contaminated blood. But sadly, I fear that won’t be the case. With an average of two victims a week losing their lives since that debate in 2017. The government must surely accept. Time is of the essence for these people”.

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The House of Commons today debated amendments to the finance bill, which the government touts as a vehicle for renewing annual taxes, delivering new tax proposals and maintaining administration of the tax system.

Speaking in the debate, Priti Patel said: “We have to make sure that – certainly on this side the House – is a Conservative government that is not putting burdens on businesses, but we are actually doing everything possible, as colleagues have discussed today, as well, to bring the tax base and tax burden down, but actually simplify taxes for businesses as well”.

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Shadow Leader of the House, Thangam Debbonaire, gave a passionate speech about the partygate findings.

She urged all MPs to vote and not to abstain, saying it was an important for democracy. She also said that she strongly supported the committee’s findings.

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Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House, says she will be voting in favour of the Privileges Committee findings on partygate. She is the first Minister to say she will be doing so.

The Debate held in the Commons is on whether or not MPs support the findings, or whether they deem them unfair. They will have the chance to vote for or against.

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The House of Commons today held a backbench business debate to mark Pride Month. Labour MP Dame Angela Eagle and Conservative MP Elliot Colburn put forward the debate.

Speaking in the debate, Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said: “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we, since I was the first parliamentary candidate to be selected as openly gay and my Conservative opponent at the time said that homosexuality was a disease ridden, sterile occupation?”.

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