PR for general elections is essential for a more democratic, equal and united UK – LabourList
LabourListDec 05, 2022
On Monday, the leader of the UK Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, pledged to devolve power away from the political center of Westminster if his party wins the next general election.
If elected PM, Starmer promises to introduce the "biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people." The announcement comes in tandem with the release of a new report by Labour, entitled 'A New Britain'.
With this report comes the reinvigoration of Labour as the party of democratic and constitutional reform. After more than a decade of conservative governance, the current system has become synonymous with Tory cronyism, while faith in UK politics is at an all-time low. With a convincing poll lead, Labour should be confident it will soon get the opportunity to address many of the deep-rooted issues being faced by the UK.
Although some constitutional reform is indeed needed, the fact that the latest half-baked reforms have been proposed by Gordon Brown and the Labour Party are ironic when considering that Brown's record for reform as PM was itself so poor. Change should occur, but with our constitutional arrangements being based upon respect for convention, tradition, and the responsible use of Royal prerogative, caution must be applied.
There is an 85% chance that the UK will have a Labour government before June 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.