How the winner-takes-all voting system has turned on Labour and the Tories

"First-past-the-post has long been regarded as a friend of the Conservative and Labour parties. It makes it difficult for small parties whose vote is evenly spread geographically to win seats. This helps to keep potential challengers to the Conservatives and Labour out of the House of Commons. Indeed, because that is the case, voters may be reluctant to vote for them in the first place."

"Historically, the system has also given whoever is the victor in the electoral battle between Conservative and Labour a boost in seats. The two parties thus both get the chance of securing a period of untrammeled majority government rather than having to negotiate the rocky shores of minority or coalition government."

"Thursday's election results raise questions about whether first-past-the-post will continue to benefit the Conservatives and Labour in future. Rather, they have shown that the system is colour blind in how it operates The results confirmed that Britain has now entered an unprecedented era of multi-party politics."

"According to the BBC's projected national share, if the whole country had had the chance to vote in a local election on Thursday Reform would have come first with 26% of the vote and the Greens (narrowly) second on 18%. The Conservatives and Labour would have been left with just 17% each. Their joint tally of 34% represents a record low. Even the Liberal Democrats were not far behind on 16%."

First-past-the-post elects the candidate with the most votes in each seat. It is used in UK general elections and in local elections in England. Proportional representation aims to distribute seats to reflect party popularity, and it is used for the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales. First-past-the-post has been seen as favoring Conservative and Labour parties because small parties with evenly spread support struggle to win seats. This can reduce voter willingness to support challengers. Historically, the system has boosted whichever of the two main parties wins the contest, enabling majority government. Recent results suggest an unprecedented multi-party landscape, with Reform projected first and the Greens second, while Conservatives and Labour each fall to 17% and their combined share reaches a record low.

Read at www.bbc.com