Petition
Write to the NEC of the Labour party
Action now, not in five years
The system is broken. Victims of crime like Carole can't wait. Take action now, sign the open letter to Labour's NEC and tell them to put proportional representation in their next manifesto.
Since 2010, half of all police stations have closed and there are 8,000 fewer police officers. Last year only 1 in every 20 of violent crimes resulted in someone being charged and sexual offences reached a record high. Many, like Carole, no longer feel safe in their neighbourhood and in their home.
Our outdated voting system keeps the Tories in power with a minority of votes. You and the Labour Party have a chance now to make a change for Carole.
Carole can't wait
Tell Labour's NEC, the Party's ruling body, to put fairer proportional voting for UK elections in the Labour Party's next manifesto.
The first step in this campaign was successful. Labour's Conference voted in September to support PR, the largest trade unions already back it, so Labour's leaders and the NEC now just have to honour that vote.
Tell them Carole can't wait.
This isn't about party rule change or scoring political points. This is about the people who are being failed right now. This is about electing a government that actually matches what people vote for, and one that helps people in need. This is about people, not politics.
Carole can't wait another five years for the election after next.
Why must change happen now?
Without a change of government, it could be too late to save our NHS after another five years. If the share of seats matched the share of votes they received, the Conservatives would have only won 2 of the last 21 elections. Even Margaret Thatcher would have failed to secure a majority.
A better voting system means Labour is likely to be in government more often and in a position to help people like Hassan. 80% of Labour members back a fairer voting system as does Britain’s largest trade union. Labour Party policy must now change to support a fairer voting system.
Why contact Labour's NEC?
The NEC is the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. Labour says its primary purpose is to provide strategic direction for the Party as a whole. New NEC members were elected in August 2022 and some of those new members have not yet publicly confirmed that they support fairer voting, or proportional representation.
Labour Conference in September 2022 voted overwhelmingly to support PR for House of Commons elections, the vote was supported by the majority of Labour members and the biggest trade unions. Labour's leadership have a huge role in deciding whether to honour this vote to make PR a reality. The policy still needs the leadership, Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Policy Forum to agree to put it in the next manifesto. They need to hear the strength of feeling about this. They need to hear from you.
What is Proportional Representation?
Proportional Representation is a fairer system of voting during elections where the number of parliamentary seats each party wins aligns closely with the number of votes that party receives. It allows voters to rank candidates by preference, meaning that you can always vote for who you want without fear of your vote being ‘wasted’. It also makes electoral pacts between parties unnecessary. This system is used in almost every healthy democracy around the world.
The Letter: To the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party
Labour Conference overwhelmingly passed a motion calling for the next Labour manifesto to include Proportional Representation for House of Commons elections. We, the undersigned, call on you to honour this vote.
The last twelve years of Conservative government have been catastrophic for our economy, our NHS and other vital public services. While more and more people are being pushed into poverty and millions are struggling with a cost of living crisis, the Conservative Government has wasted an estimated £64billion of public money while awarding lucrative public contracts to Tory party insiders.
They have personally broken the law themselves. But our outdated voting system keeps the Conservative Party in power with a minority of votes. Right-wing parties worked together to win the last two elections and in 2019, they got 56% of the seats with around 40% of the vote.
If the share of seats matched the share of votes they received, the Conservatives would have only won 2 of the last 21 elections. Even Margaret Thatcher would have failed to secure a majority. The Conservatives know that they can’t win under a better system. That’s why this year they rolled back fairer voting for local elections in England.
A better voting system means Labour is likely to be in government more often. 80% of Labour members back a fairer voting system as do Britain’s largest trade unions. Britain can't wait for the election after next. Please honour the vote and put Proportional Representation in the next Labour manifesto.
Yours Faithfully,
Your Signature