UK Labour Reinstates Supplementary Voting for Mayors Amid Reform UK Gains

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Labour Reinstates Supplementary Voting for Mayors Amid Reform UK Gains

 

The Labour government is set to overhaul the mayoral voting system in England in a move that could reshape the political landscape ahead of next year’s elections. Deputy Prime Minister and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner has announced the reintroduction of the supplementary vote system, replacing the first-past-the-post method, which critics say unfairly benefits parties like Reform UK.

 

The decision comes just months after Reform UK made significant gains in the May local elections, winning mayoralties in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire. One of those victories was secured with just 35 per cent of the vote—enough to win under the current first-past-the-post rules. Reform’s growing popularity, particularly in areas traditionally hostile to the Right, has prompted concern among Labour strategists that the vote-splitting effect among Left-leaning parties could lead to more unexpected losses.

 

Angela Rayner framed the voting system change as part of a broader “radical reset,” saying, “We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country. It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with. But that’s why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade-old divides and empower communities. We’re ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision-making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.”

 

Under the reintroduced supplementary vote system, voters rank candidates by preference. If no candidate gains more than 50 per cent of the first-choice votes, all but the top two are eliminated, and second-preference votes are distributed. This format had previously been used in London’s mayoral elections, helping Labour’s Sadiq Khan to victory in 2021, when he went from 40 per cent in the first round to a final tally of 55.2 per cent after second preferences were counted.

 

Critics within Reform UK see the move as a calculated effort to blunt their recent momentum. A party spokesperson told The Telegraph, “Labour is now trying to stitch up next year’s mayoral elections in a deeply cynical attempt to diminish the success of Reform. We are on track to replicate our successes this May in next year’s elections, so it’s no wonder they are doing this now.”

 

Reform, led by Nigel Farage, had pledged in previous manifestos to pursue electoral reform, favoring proportional representation. However, the surge in their popularity—currently polling at 30 per cent—has made them one of the biggest beneficiaries of first-past-the-post. In one notable example, Reform nearly captured the West of England mayoralty despite securing less than 25 per cent of the vote, thanks to a split among Labour, Green, and Liberal Democrat candidates. Their candidate, Arron Banks, came within 6,000 votes of victory.

 

Despite the gains, the return to supplementary voting could hinder Reform’s chances in future contests, especially in Left-leaning urban areas where progressive voters are likely to coordinate more effectively through ranked preferences. This system has historically helped Labour by capturing second-choice support from Green, Lib Dem, and independent Left voters—a dynamic that Reform strategists fear could stall their rise.

 

Labour has long struggled with the fragmentation of the Left vote under first-past-the-post, while the Conservatives benefited from a more unified base. But with the rise of Reform UK now threatening to splinter the Right, the political calculation has shifted. The supplementary vote could serve as a critical buffer for Labour as it seeks to consolidate control in England’s growing patchwork of devolved mayoralties.

 

With the next London mayoral election not due until 2028, attention is already turning to potential candidates. Labour MP Dawn Butler has expressed interest in running, while Reform is reportedly seeking a high-profile figure to run on a tough-on-crime platform. Whether the voting change will be enough to contain Reform’s challenge remains to be seen, but Labour is making clear it intends to tilt the field back in its favor.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Daily Telegraph  2025-07-14

 

 

[The Cyclist]

Terrified of Reform

 

Terrified of Democracy.

 

* See cancelled Council elections for further details.

[roquefort]

"reintroduction of the supplementary vote system, replacing the first-past-the-post method, which critics say unfairly benefits parties like Reform UK. "

 

I don't recall Labour complaining about first-past-the-post when Reform won 14.3% of the vote at the general election and ended up with less than 1% of MPs.

[RayC]

Introducing any type of PR system is welcome although, unfortunately, I doubt that it will be extended to General Elections.

[BusyB]

2 hours ago, RayC said:

Introducing any type of PR system is welcome although, unfortunately, I doubt that it will be extended to General Elections.

 

Of course not: 'Labour' won a 146 seat majority on barely 34% of the national vote.

 

 

[RayC]

19 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

Of course not: 'Labour' won a 146 seat majority on barely 34% of the national vote.

 

 

 

Yes, completely undemocratic. Just as it was in 2019 when the Conservatives had an 80-seat majority after winning only 43% of the vote.

[BusyB]

2 minutes ago, RayC said:

 

Yes, completely undemocratic. Just as it was in 2019 when the Conservatives had an 80-seat majority after winning only 43% of the vote.

 

The whole country and system desperately ripe for genuine root and branch reform but the people still with a 19th century mindset and bellies still too full of junk food.

[JonnyF]

Labour going straight to the bottom of it's not so little box of dirty tricks. 

[phetphet]

Stinks of desperation.