Burnham wants to change British elections. Voters think they’re fine as is.

LONDON — Andy Burnham has his work cut out to convince voters the U.K. should change the way it elects MPs, according to a new POLITICO Poll. 

This week the prime minister vowed to come up with proposals to ditch the first-past-the-post voting system, which has been used in British general elections since 1884, to provide more political stability and a system that is fairer to all voters. 

But a survey by pollsters Public First, conducted before Burnham’s announcement, found that 57% of respondents regard first-past-the-post as a “mostly” or “completely” fair way to decide elections. (A majority of voters across parties feel this way.) 

At the same time, the survey revealed potential openness to a system of proportional representation, in which the number of parliamentary seats each party wins is more closely linked to the total number of votes it receives across the country. 

“Most people don’t spend much time thinking about how we elect MPs and, broadly, people think the current system is fair,” said Seb Wride, head of polling at Public First. “Burnham will need to make a convincing case to voters about why changing the electoral system is necessary, if he is to gain support for his plans.” 

Under first-past-the-post, whichever candidate wins the most votes in their constituency is elected to represent that seat, even if they fall far short of a majority of local voters. Nationally, that can result in a party taking power with relatively low popular support.

Labour won the last election in 2024 by a landslide, taking 63% of seats in Parliament with just 34% of the vote — the most disproportionate result in British history. 

Since then, some polling projections have suggested Nigel Farage’s populist-right Reform UK party was on track to win a majority with around 30% of votes under the first-past-the-post system. 

In a speech to Labour members in Liverpool, Burnham said recent turbulence in British politics — he’s the country’s seventh prime minister in 10 years — meant a new system was needed. “We will all have failed in our public duties if we carry on as we are and open the door of No. 10 to a divisive government on less than 30% of the vote,” he said. 

How to choose

Many voting systems could replace first-past-the-post, some based on a form of proportional representation (PR). Public First’s analysis found that support for moving to PR varied depending on which party was proposing it. 

When Labour voters were shown a Labour proposal to move to PR, 54% supported the idea, whereas when they were shown an identical proposal branded as coming from Reform UK, only 36% supported it. The same broad pattern was true of Reform voters. 

Overall, 41% of U.K. adults responding to the poll said they would “somewhat” support or “strongly support” a Labour proposal to move toward PR. Another 26% would neither support nor oppose it, and 22% somewhat opposed or strongly opposed the idea. 

“While they lean toward supporting reform, many voters judge it by who is proposing it,” said Wride. “With trust in politicians so low, if electoral reform looks like just one party’s project, it risks being seen as political game-playing.” 

Burnham’s pledge on electoral reform could boost his chances of staying in power, but much could change ahead of the next election, which could take place as late as 2029. Polls currently predict a hung parliament with Labour falling short of a majority, but the Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for electoral reform and would be Labour’s most likely coalition partners. 

Farage has also spoken in favor of replacing first-past-the-post with an alternative voting system, but has recently said less on the topic. This week, the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice said it was “no time” to be discussing electoral reform.

One person familiar with the thinking in Burnham’s team said they expected the government preference would be for the same “supplementary vote” system used in Greater Manchester mayoral elections. It allows voters to pick a second preference — with those votes being counted if the lead candidate doesn’t win at least 50% of first preference votes. 

Separately, a government official said a “constituency link” in any new voting system would be “critical” for Burnham.

“I found it better being elected under a different system as mayor of Greater Manchester where people had one or two — they could put that on the ballot paper,” Burnham told the BBC this week. “Because you had a reason to stop on every doorstep and chat to people who might not always support your party and try and get their second preference. It just led to a better politics.”

Sam Blewett and Emilio Casalicchio contributed reporting. Public First surveyed 2,028 U.K. adults online Sept. 13-15, 2026.