Story perspectives

Burnham Announces National Commission to Review Voting System

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 4:07 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a national commission to review alternatives to the first-past-the-post voting system.
He said a publicly owned Great British Grid would be created to increase competition for electricity transmission projects.
Burnham declared the national care service would be free at the point of use.
Institute for Fiscal Studies officials estimated easing the pension triple-lock could save £15 billion annually by 2040.

History

Historical Context

The 2011 Alternative Vote referendum, mandated by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, saw 68% of voters reject AV on a 42% turnout, a defeat that crippled Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s reform agenda. Decades of earlier commissions—Jenkins (1998) and Plant (1993)—had already highlighted the difficulty of changing first-past-the-post. Andy Burnham’s new commission now revisits electoral and welfare reforms, echoing that long-standing resistance.

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Story summary

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a national commission to review alternatives to the first-past-the-post voting system.
He said a publicly owned Great British Grid would be created to increase competition for electricity transmission projects.
Burnham declared the national care service would be free at the point of use.
Institute for Fiscal Studies officials estimated easing the pension triple-lock could save £15 billion annually by 2040.

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