Labour ministers fear Burnham's proportional representation plan will deny the party a majority forever

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026 · last updated 1 October 2026.

Senior Labour ministers are privately alarmed that Andy Burnham's push for electoral reform could permanently end the party's chances of governing alone. Burnham announced at Labour's Liverpool conference that a commission on proportional representation will be launched, calling it essential to stop a "divisive government" winning power on less than 30 per cent of the vote. Under a PR system, Labour stands to shed hundreds of seats, with smaller parties gaining disproportionate sway as a result.

The Chancellor has warned the new system 'opens the door to racist' candidates winning seats they could never take under first past the post.

Labour took its 2024 landslide on just 34 per cent of the vote — the very system Burnham now wants to scrap delivered his party's own majority.

Critics point to Italy's PR model as a cautionary tale, arguing it rewards tribalism, empowers fringe parties and produces unstable coalition governments.