Solihull Member of Parliament urges support for coalition to end the "First past the post system".

8.48.55am GMT Fri 18th Nov 2005

Solihull MP Lorely Burt welcomed the launch in Parliament on Tuesday of the Electoral Choice Bill to reform the UK's antiquated voting system.

"People feel disengaged" argued Lorely Burt, MP for Solihull. "Take Solihull Council. A majority of people didn't vote for the Conservatives across Solihull borough, or their mad scheme to build upon Shirley Park. They've no democratic mandate from a majority of people to do this."

"It's hardly surprising people don't vote in local elections when a council ignores public opinion to this extent" Lorely added. "The Electoral Choice Bill would change all of this, meaning that so council ward or parliamentary seat could be regarded as safe."

The reform groups supporting the bill believe that without a fairer system of national elections, confidence in British democracy will be undermined.

The Electoral Choice Bill is supported by John Denham, the Labour MP and chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, David Chaytor, a Labour member of the Education and Skills Select Committee, and David Heath, the Liberal Democrat spokesman for constitutional affairs.

There is also strong support from the country's foremost reform organisations, including the Electoral Reform Society and New Politics Network as well as Charter 88 and Active Citizens Transform.

The country would be asked to choose the system by which local authorities should be elected. The Bill would also require the Government to hold referendums for elections to both Houses of Parliament as well as answering questions about the composition of the House of Lords.

At May's general election, according to the campaigners' report, it took only 26,858 votes to elect a Labour MP, 44,241 to elect a Tory and 98,484 to vote in a Liberal Democrat. Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of the population did not vote for the present Government and on the results for just England, 60,000 more people voted for the Conservative Party than the Labour Party yet Labour won 92 more seats and was chosen to represent the people.

The launch at Portcullis House yesterday (Tuesday) has allowed MPs to begin the process of reform by unveiling the Electoral Choice Bill. Proponents will then look to gather support in Westminster where it is hoped to be debated under the 10 minute rule and then taken on as a private member's Bill.

John Jackson, the chairman of Active Citizens Transform, said at the launch that the Electoral Choice Bill is the "first step" on the road to electoral reform, a pressing concern for all democrats.

"It is not possible in a modern democratic society to maintain civil cohesion unless the political structure of that society is determined in a manner which is an _expression of the popular will" argued Mr Jackson. "The 'manner' is more important than 'structure' which it leads to."

Debbie Chay, the chairwoman of Charter 88, said that the results of the last general election "underline the widening gulf between those in government and us, the people".