Jubilation and strong support for electoral reform at the Liberal Democrat’s 2024 conference

There was a jubilant atmosphere at the Liberal Democrat conference this week. The number 72 – the number of MPs the party now has – was everywhere. It appeared in every speech, to raucous applause, and was even emblazoned on the scenery around Brighton Conference Centre. Amid the triumphant mood, there was still a lot of discussion of electoral reform on the agenda.

The Liberal Democrats are still passionate about electoral reform

Questions were asked in the lead-up to the conference on whether the party would waiver in their longstanding support for PR. In 2019, the party had received just 1.6% of the seats in Parliament for the 11.5% of the vote they received, whereas in 2024 their 12% of the vote translated into 11% of the seats. But there needn’t have been doubt – in fact, it was pleasing to see that the Liberal Democrats are committed as ever to bringing in a fairer, more proportional system.

On Monday morning a debate was held on how best to bring fair votes to UK parliamentary elections – and hundreds of Lib Dem members made sure they were in attendance. The debate saw a reaffirmation of the party’s support for the Single Transferable Vote (STV), which has been in every Liberal Democrat manifesto since the 1980s. The motion also saw conference reaffirm Lib Dem commitment to a number of other ERS objectives, such as the introduction of votes at 16; the scrapping of voter ID regulations; and introducing a system of automatic voter registration.

Electoral reform a hot topic in the fringes

Electoral reform was a consistent theme on the fringe circuit, with the Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform (LDER) event on Saturday evening debating the best way to advance the case for PR in this parliament. The debate centred on the best ways to raise the awareness with the public, but also how to engage uncertain or opposed MPs on the issue, especially in the wake of the disproportional election result we had just seen in July. The speakers also debated other routes to advancing the cause of PR, such as advocating for it to be introduced for local elections in England and Wales.

The debate continued on Monday night with our very own fringe event looking at the 2024 General Election result and its implications for the case for PR at Westminster. Chief Executive Darren Hughes kicked off the debate by saying that while the focus in the aftermath of polling day had been on which parties had benefited from the electoral system, the focus needed to be on the voters and ‘just how bad’ First Past the Post had been for them.

ERS Research Officer, Ian Simpson, then outlined just how disproportional the 2024 election had been. He outlined that it had seen several firsts, such as the Tories and Labour getting their lowest combined vote share since Labour became the second largest party in the House of Commons, at the 1922 general election. This election was also the first time that four parties had garnered more than 10% of the vote, and five parties had got more than 5%.

Following this, Hannah Camilleri, the ERS’s Communications Officer, outlined how the media had picked up the fact this had been such a disproportional election, as well as the fact there is a concerning decline in public trust in politics. She also argued that the best way to make the case for PR is from first principles, and rather than arguing about which parties are up and down under different systems, it is better to argue that the only bias the electoral system should have is towards the voter.

New MP urges reformers not to get bogged down in niche systems debates

The final speaker at our fringe was the new Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove, Lisa Smart, who made an impassioned case for PR, but warned fellow Lib Dems that the public outside had no appetite for wonkish debates over the merits of each system. Instead, people wanted to hear how the change to a more representative politics would improve their lives.

After the event, Lisa said: “I’ve just come out of what was an absolutely fantastic discussion put on by the ERS, talking about what happened in the 2024 election and how it was the most disproportional we have had ever had, but also looking at what some of the opportunities are. “[Also] that we get the reform that we need so that votes match seats and we have fair elections so that everyone’s voice gets heard. It was an absolutely inspiring hour in the room, and there was loads of positivity and some hope.”

Support our work

Fringe events at party conferences help us make our case directly to politicians, activists and party members – winning over those who have the power to make the reforms we want to see.

As we head off to Labour and Conservative conference in the coming weeks, you can support our work, by becoming a member of the Electoral Reform Society.