The Labour Party and Electoral Reform

The issue of electoral reform has divided the Labour Party since its inception, but only for a brief period in the early 20th century has the Party been committed to reforming first-past-the-post (FPTP). Now, having suffered four successive general election defeats, the most recent of which was its worst result since 1935, the Labour Party will have to reconsider its electoral strategy if it is, once again, to become a party of government. This book analyses the likelihood of Labour’s acceptance of FPTP, its perception of electoral pacts and coalition government, and more widely, its view of the British constitution and how it seeks to implement a social democratic agenda.
By looking at the constitutional frameworks identifiable in the Labour Party, and supplemented by a case study approach, Jasper Miles offers the reader a thorough examination of the subject, including an assessment of the pressures and environment in which Labour politicians have operated. Extensive elite-level interviews with those involved in the Plant Report, the Jenkins Commission, the Alternative Vote Referendum, 2011 and the broader Labour movement, alongside new archival research, offers the reader a comprehensive and definitive account of this debate.