Red Wall voters want proportional representation voting system, poll finds

Just 12 per cent in marginal seats want to keep First Past The Post

Labour conference will debate the measure (EPA)

Voters in the so-called "red wall" of marginal parliamentary seats support changing the electoral system to proportional representation, a new poll has found.

A survey of voters in 40 Labour heartland seats in the Midlands, North of England and Wales found that just 12 per cent wanted to keep the existing "first past the post" electoral system.

A huge 47 per cent supported adopting proportional representation, according to the poll carried out by Redfield and Wilton Strategies, while 41 per cent said they did not have a view.

Seats polled include 2019 Tory gains from Labour such as Ashfield, Sedgefield, Stoke-on-Trent Central and Workington – which the party is working hard to win back.

The finding comes as delegates at Labour's conference in Liverpool are set to debate and vote on whether the party should adopt a policy of changing the voting system to proportional representation.

Keir Starmer at the weekend set himself against the change, saying it was "not a priority" and ruling out a post-election deal to bring in a new voting system.

But there is a groundswell of support for the policy from party activists and senior Labour figures such as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor have also backed it.

Of the red wall voters polled, 26 percent “support” and 21 percent “strongly support” PR, while just 5 percent “oppose” it, and only 7 percent “strongly oppose” it.

“The whole country wants to ditch our outdated voting system, and the ‘red wall’ is no different," said Klina Jordan, chief executive of Make Votes Matter, who commissioned the poll.

"It’s obvious to the voters that a system which ignores millions of us isn’t up to scratch, and it’s time for Parliament to listen.”

“In key battleground seats, which will likely decide the next election, voters are crying out for a different way of doing politics. With dissatisfaction with democracy reaching unprecedented levels, politicians need to take action or they risk looking totally out of touch, allowing this country to spiral into more chaos and desperate inequality.”

Under PR systems the number of seats in parliament reflects the number of votes vast overall in election.

Most European countries have proportional systems, with just the UK and France using "majoritarian" systems like First Past the Post.

Parties such as the Liberal Democrats and Greens have long supported PR, but Labour and the Tories have historically been opposed.