Open Britain’s Mark Kieran on the Dangers of a Parliamentary Supermajority without Proportional Representation

‘Dear David,

Hands up who’s heard the word “supermajority” today? Anyone? Everyone! Of course you have! It’s all we hear from Rishi Sunak and his friends in the right-wing media these days. But what does it mean?

In the way members of Team Sunak use it – to describe the huge majority Labour are predicted to win at the election – it is utterly meaningless…it has no weight at all in the UK electoral  system. But that doesn’t stop the right-wing media banging on about it.

Just today, The Daily Mail tweeted: “Seat by seat, how you can help stop a Starmer supermajority”. They go on to encourage Reform voters to switch to the Conservatives in order to “prevent a Labour landslide.” (It seems the Right have found tactical voting!).

The term is actually an Americanism, another one of those words from across the pond that doesn’t quite sit properly here. In the UK, it’s just a buzzword that Sunak’s floundering election advisers have calculated might frighten the Conservative base and shore up the ever-diminishing tally of Tory votes.

But, although the word itself is an irrelevance, the vast power Starmer is expected to wield from 5 July most definitely is not.Labour could hold 70% of seats in the Commons with just 40% of the vote. That is an unprecedented amount of power in the hands of a party not backed by a majority of the voting public.

Millions of people across the country will say, “So what? Labour will be using that power to do good things.” And that is a fair point to make. But what happens when, further down the line, that overwhelming, irresistible power is in the hands of someone with less benign plans? What happens if Farage succeeds in his plan to replace Starmer as Prime Minister in 2029? That is a scenario that doesn’t bear thinking about.

Like all politicians, Starmer will always have half-an-eye on his legacy. As he works to address the cost of living crisis, reduce NHS waiting lists, and solve the housing shortage, he should consider how easily these achievements could be undone in a system that allows a party with only 40% of the vote to hold all the power. What Starmer regards as a blessing today may become a curse tomorrow.

Nigel Farage has increased Reform’s support from 5% to nearly 20% in a few weeks. It would be foolish to think he couldn’t reach 40% in five years. If he does, and if Starmer fails to reform the electoral system before then, the only thing preventing a Farage-led government with 70% of the seats in Parliament will be a very specific and unpredictable pattern of support for progressive parties across the country.

I hope Starmer sees the importance of this issue and is preparing to act. But, just in case, we have our petition to remind him!

That petition – encouraging Starmer to commit to Proportional Representation within the first 100 days of a Labour government – is currently hovering around 40,000 signatures – do you think you can help us get it to 50,000 before the election?

I’m sure you can!

All the very best, Mark Kieran CEO, Open Britain’

Tags: Conservatives, Cost of Living Crisis, Daily Mail, Housing, Kier Starmer, Labour Party, Mark Kieran, NHS Waiting Lists, Open Britain, Proportional Representation, Reform Party, Rishi Sunak