Alex Sobel

Alex Sobel

Labour (Co-op) — Leeds Central and Headingley

Speaking in the House of Commons on 17 July 2025

Debate

Strategy for Elections

Contribution

As the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for fair elections, I warmly welcome this policy paper. I think my hon. Friend the Minister and I were much more poorly equipped to vote when we were 18 than today’s 16-year-olds, so I warmly welcome that measure. I also welcome the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced last week, with the Government saying that first past the post “can lead to individuals being elected with only a small proportion of the total votes cast”, and that Mayors and police and crime commissioners “should be elected with a greater consensus among their electors.” The Government have also claimed that this change will give the local electorate an “increased voice” and will “better support the democratic mandate of people elected to such positions”. Given the flawed nature of first past the post, will the Minister consider also reviewing the system for elections to this place?

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