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Looking back on the last 20 months of UK political polls

This month’s polling breakdown is being written shortly after Andy Burnham’s big speech to Labour’s annual conference. One of the cornerstones of which was his announcement of a National Commission on Electoral Reform and the...

Posted 30 Sep 2026

The polling picture looks very different compared with the beginning of 2026

Prime Minister announces manifesto pledge and historic National Commission at Labour Conference

Today, in his first conference speech as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham committed his party to changing the way we elect MPs. It is hard to overstate how significant that is. Speaking in Liverpool, he told...

Posted 29 Sep 2026

We will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system

In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, First Past the Post would have turned a slight lead into a huge majority for the AFD

Germany is made up of 16 federal states, each with a slightly different version of proportional representation – making it a reliable source of news for us if nothing else! As per the national parliament,...

Posted 28 Sep 2026

Elections aren't a horse race, where all that matters is who crosses the line first

First Past the Post would have given the AfD nearly every seat in Saxony-Anhalt

There has been much coverage in recent days of the outcome of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, which lies in eastern Germany. It is unusual for regional elections in other countries to generate such debate...

Posted 10 Sep 2026

First Past the Post means a party doesn’t need to win a majority of votes to rule alone

August 2026 in the polls: The latest UK monthly political polling averages

August is a month of long summer holidays for both schoolchildren and parliamentarians. However, it did not feel like politics took much of a break, with the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, keeping up a...

Posted 10 Sep 2026

Is talk of an early general election justified by any changes seen in the polls

Questioning New Zealand’s proportional system led to questions about the prime minister’s position

New Zealand heads to the polls on November 7 and as a country with similar political traditions to the UK, it is always worth looking at what is happening. The parties that loosely make up the two...

Posted 12 Aug 2026

Most Kiwis consider the voting system a settled matter

What does an independent commission on electoral reform need to succeed?

The idea of an independent commission on electoral reform has been gaining traction lately, with nearly 200 MPs calling for one [UPDATE: a Commission was announced on 29th September]. But with a prime minister who...

Posted 06 Aug 2026

To create a change that lasts, the process needs to be trusted

What do the UK political polling averages for July 2026 point to?

July saw the transition from one UK Prime Minister to another for the fifth time since 2019. Andy Burnham stepped through the threshold of Number 10, followed by a flurry of announcements on various issues...

Posted 05 Aug 2026

There is only a 13 point 9 point gap between the 1st and 5th placed parties

Anas Sarwar’s appointment exposes the problem at the heart of the House of Lords

Andy Burnham began his Premiership with promises of change and a break with the past way of doing politics. Which is why one of his government’s first decisions deserves scrutiny. Anas Sarwar, the outgoing leader...

Posted 05 Aug 2026

A seat in the House of Lords lasts a lifetime

Denmark’s three-day democracy festival that attracts over 65,000 visitors

I had the opportunity to visit Denmark’s democracy festival, Folkemødet, (translated as the People’s Meeting), this June. Representatives from Perth and Kinross council, Argyll and Bute council and I, swapped the Scottish summer rain for the...

Posted 30 Jul 2026