National Commission on Electoral Reform: Terms of Reference

The APPG for Fair Elections is pleased to publish a Terms of Reference for a National Commission on Electoral Reform.

The First Past the Post voting system is under growing strain as British politics experiences unprecedented fragmentation and volatility. This threatens to produce increasingly chaotic and unrepresentative election results, further undermining trust in politics, and risks allowing a party to secure a majority with the support of less than three in ten voters. Meanwhile, a record 60% of the public now want to change the voting system, according to the latest British Social Attitudes survey.

A National Commission on Electoral Reform is our APPG’s proposal for how the Government could engage with this issue now. Developed in consultation with leading constitutional experts, these Terms of Reference propose a way to independently review how Parliament is elected, promote a national conversation, and build consensus on a way forward. The National Commission would present Parliament with a set of carefully evidenced final recommendations within twelve months of launch.

The unprecedented support for addressing the electoral system that now exists – amongst the public, within the governing party, and across Parliament – provides a unique political opportunity. In publishing this document, we offer the Government a plan with which to seize this opportunity: by establishing a National Commission on Electoral Reform.