The 2024 general election was the most disproportionate in British history. With the winning party securing over 400 seats with only 34% of all votes cast and voter turnout having dropped to below 60%, six out of ten people are now represented by an MP they did not vote for. Many argue that these outcomes are the result of First Past the Post.

With declining participation in our elections and faith in our politics, we need positive change to reverse these dangerous trends. The adoption of Proportional Representation is endorsed by many across the political spectrum as a means of achieving this change. However, debate on this issue, particularly in Parliament, has been impacted by the fact that the two major parties of government owe their successes to FPTP.

One of our public service broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or Sky should fulfil their responsibility to inform the public by hosting a debate on Westminster's voting system. It would provide an opportunity for a more open forum in which the merits of FPTP and PR can be debated without either major party thumbing the scale, and for members of the public to learn and directly ask political leaders questions about how our democracy functions. It would give the issue the attention that it warrants but has not been afforded in general debates such as Channel 4's local elections debate last April.

During the Alternative Voting referendum campaign in 2011, none of the public service broadcasters held a dedicated debate on Westminster's voting system. This led to NOtoAV misrepresenting how AV worked without challenge, and opponents of electoral reform mischaracterising it as a proportional system. If we can have dedicated televised debates on Scottish independence, the UK's membership of the European Union and immigration, why can we not have a debate on how we elect our MPs? 

The British public are hungry for change. Legislation proposing the adoption of proportional representation is currently moving through Parliament. The Government is planning to reintroduce Supplementary Voting for some local elections, but are not considering a fairer system for Westminster elections. When greater steps are taken towards serious national deliberations on our voting system, such as National Commission or a citizens' assembly, a fair and balanced debate should be part and parcel of that process.