First Past the Post to Be Scrapped for English Mayoral Elections in Bid to Reverse Conservative ‘Gerrymandering’

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The Government will scrap the use of First Past the Post in mayoral elections in England, in a surprise move as part of Labour’s flagship devolution bill. 

Under the English Devolution & Empowerment Bill – published today – the Supplementary Vote (SV) will be reinstated for Mayoral elections, replacing First Past the Post (FPTP) after just one electoral cycle. Byline Times was the first to report that the change was on the cards last December.

SV allows voters to list a second preference on the ballot paper. If their first choice doesn’t command enough support, their second is used instead. It dramatically lowers the risk of ‘spoiler’ candidates splitting the vote, while backers say it also gives winners a stronger and more politically diverse mandate – as they must campaign for voters’ second preferences as well as first. 

The move has been welcomed by MPs and campaigners as recognition that First Past the Post is “not fit for purpose,” and buoying hopes in some quarters that the Government may be more open minded about changing Westminster’s voting system too.

The English Devolution and Empowerment Bill reverses the change made by the previous Conservative Government in 2022. Campaigners say the change to FPTP has resulted in mayors being elected on very small shares of the vote, undermining their democratic mandates and eroding trust in the political system. It was widely viewed as a way of boosting Conservative chances in Labour-dominated mayoralties, and criticised by Sadiq Khan and others as a form of electoral ‘gerrymandering’.

In the last set of English mayoral elections held under the preferential (SV) system in 2021, all six positions were elected with the support of a majority of local voters.

But in the 2024 elections, the first such elections held since the introduction of First Past the Post, only five of the ten mayors elected received a majority of the vote.

And in this year’s May elections, not one of the six winning candidates received a majority of the vote. In Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Conservative Paul Bristow was elected with just 28% of the vote, while in the West of England, which saw a strong Green Party vote, Labour’s Helen Godwin won with a mere 25%. In Hull & East Yorkshire, Reform won with 36% of the vote. 

Electoral reform campaigners are calling the shift back to the two-preference system a “welcome recognition of the damage FPTP does to our democracy” — and a sign that the need for ‘fair votes’ is cutting through in Parliament.

It is a signal of “growing political recognition” that the winner-takes-all system is “not fit for purpose,” pro-reform campaign Make Votes Matter said in a statement. 

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Alex Sobel MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Fair Elections, said: “Since the Tories imposed First Past the Post on mayoral elections, it has failed to fairly represent voters, undermined the ability of mayors to speak for their whole communities, and therefore eroded trust in politics. 

“By committing to changing this, the Government has wisely taken a step in the right direction – but First Past the Post is just as flawed when it comes to general elections. The Government should set up a National Commission on Electoral Reform to find a fair, representative way forward.”

These outcomes left mayors wielding sweeping powers — over transport, policing, and economic strategy — “without a significant public mandate” according to reformers. 

Ellie Chowns MP, Vice Chair of the APPG for Fair Elections, said: “The case for scrapping First Past the Post for mayoral elections is overwhelming – and it’s good news that the Government is taking this change forward. If anything, the case for scrapping First Past the Post for general elections is even stronger. We need a fair, proportional system in which every vote counts. The Government should set up a National Commission to examine the issues and recommend a new voting system for Westminster.”

The reinstatement comes as public trust in politics reaches historic lows, and demand for a more representative voting system grows. Just 12% of people trust the Government to put the country first and 45% say they “almost never” trust politicians, according to the British Social Attitudes survey in 2024. An all-time high of 60% now support Proportional Representation for Westminster, according to the same respected study. 

The 2024 General Election was dubbed the UK’s most “disproportional” in its history. Labour won 63% of seats on just 34% of the vote — and nearly 6 in 10 voters were left without an MP they voted for, according to Make Votes Matter. 

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Make Votes Matter is urging MPs of all parties to view the reversal as a “turning point” — and to apply the same principle to general elections by committing to a proportional system, such as ‘top-up’ proportional system used in Scotland and Wales for their national parliaments, or the multi-member Single Transferable Vote for Scottish locals. 

“This is more than a simple fix to local elections, its welcome recognition of the damage FPTP does to our democracy, and that there is an alternative.” said Emma Harrison, Director of Make Votes Matter.

“This shows that change is possible. It’s time for Labour to take the next step to rebuild trust at the heart of our politics, and back the British public by giving everyone an equal vote in Westminster too,” said Harrison.

Andrew Ranger, Labour MP for Wrexham and another APPG for Fair Elections member, said the shift was “hugely welcome”: “The Government has listened to Labour MPs and mayors on this issue – who want to be sure that new and existing authorities are seen as legitimate, credible and effective.” 

He added: “I hope the Government will similarly embrace a discussion about making our general elections fair, representative, and fit for the 21st century.”

Labour MPs face an uphill battle to persuade PM Starmer to introduce proportional representation for Westminster, however. He has appeared to flip-flop on the issue, most recently coming out against widescale electoral reform. But an Elections Bill is set to be published in the coming months, which is likely to roll out automatic voter registration, votes at 16/17 for elections in England, and potentially loosen the rules on strict voter ID requirements.

Lisa Smart MP, Vice Chair of the APPG for Fair Elections and a Lib Dem, said: “Bringing back fair elections for mayors is a no-brainer – so it’s good to see some common sense from this Government when it comes to strengthening British democracy. Labour knows First Past the Post is failing to fairly represent what people want from politics.”

The APPG is calling for a ‘National Commission’ to “get to grips with our broken voting system” and propose an alternative. The parliamentary group has 157 members in parliament. Over half (55%) of its membership are Labour Parliamentarians, showing a high proportion of Labour’s current caucus are pro-PR. 

Calls also emerged today for Keir Starmer’s Government to introduce “Australian-style” compulsory voting to combat the “disastrously low” voter turnout seen at the last UK general election.

The proposal from the Constitution Society follows concerns over collapsing turnout at General Elections. The last Westminster vote saw overall turnout of registered voters fall to 59.8%, a historic low. But the ‘real’ turnout, including those who could be on the electoral roll but are missing, was around 53%, according to the IPPR think tank. 

The report argues that even these numbers mask “stark disparities” in turnout rates on the basis of class, race, age, and housing tenure. 

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