Why is Labour allowing itself to be distracted by voting reform again? Now is not the time

Hundreds of Labour members have called for the party to support proportional representation in its policy review. There are more pressing questions to answer, says John Rentoul

Labour MP Sandy Martin believes our current first-past-the-post voting system favours Tory governments (PA)

Every time Labour loses, it turns to the displacement activity of agitating for electoral reform. Hundreds of Labour members have demanded that the party support proportional representation in its policy review. The party’s annual conference in Liverpool has been cancelled this year, so there will be no votes, but Labour’s national policy forum has asked for ideas – and 60 per cent of submissions to the “justice and home affairs” review have called for a proportional voting system.

That is justice and home affairs, at a time when there are pressing questions of how our police and courts work to gain people’s confidence – but no, the priority for socialists is to complain about the unfairness of the voting system.

Even if they were right, immediately after an election is not a good time to say so. Boris Johnson is not Lukashenko; the Conservatives won fair and square under the rules. It is fine to want to change the rules, but wanting to change the rules now makes Labour look like bad losers.