The writer is professor of politics at Queen Mary University London and co-author of ‘The British General Election of 2024’
Excitement among advocates of electoral reform has been building, buoyed up by the possibility that Andy Burnham may take over as UK prime minister. This is understandable — he’s an enthusiast too, and the fracturing of our party politics makes it look inevitable — but they shouldn’t get ahead of themselves. For good or ill, anyone hoping to see a shift from first past the post to proportional representation before the next general election, and without a referendum, is fooling themselves.