CAMPAIGN FOR NEW POLITICS LAUNCHES AS VOTERS SHOW OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR CROSS-PARTY COLLABORATION

WIN AS ONE TO CHALLENGE TWO PARTY SYSTEM AS PUBLIC FAITH IN POLITICS COLLAPSES

A LANDMARK campaign to transform British politics by finally delivering proportional representation launches today (December 12), with new polling showing an overwhelming appetite for cross-party collaboration.

The failure of British politics to address crisis after crisis has reduced public faith in our two–party system to a new low and only a shift to PR can deliver the change people want, a report has revealed.

The report, titled ‘Win As One: Changing politics to change our country’, was commissioned for the launch of Win As One, a national campaign initiated by Compass that will build tactical support for progressive candidates if they support system change in Parliament, starting with PR.

The report comes in the wake of new polling from Savanta Comres, published December 9, which saw Labour’s lead in the polls fall to just 11% – a huge drop from the 30% lead the party was enjoying as recently as mid-October.

Increasingly, the polling appears to suggest Labour will struggle to win the next general election alone; they must forge alliances with other progressives to guarantee victory.

Compass’s report includes new polling from YouGov that reveals overwhelming support for cross-party collaboration, with public faith in our two-party system collapsing.

The polling revealed:

  • 72% of people who voted for progressive parties in the last general election would support an electoral alliance that would see candidates standing aside for the best placed progressive candidate to beat the Conservatives.
  • 79% of Labour voters would support working with other progressive parties to pass legislation

The poll also shows how more than 50% of voters think the current political system cannot deliver on major issues facing Britain today, with:

  • 51% saying it cannot deliver the climate change agenda
  • 50% saying it cannot deliver on inflation and the economy
  • 63% saying it cannot deliver on immigration and asylum
  • 64% saying it cannot deliver on wealth and inequality
  • 54% saying it cannot deliver on housing

This disillusionment with our political system has led to support for Proportional Representation (PR) reaching a new high, with 56% of the public now backing a reform of our voting system.

The polling shows that a change in government from Conservatives to Labour isn’t enough – voters want an entirely new political system.

The message for Keir Starmer is clear – politics is normal is not an option and Labour must reach across to other progressives to create a winning coalition that can transform our democracy.

Neal Lawson, spokesperson for Win as One, said:

 “The public is clear – our political system isn’t working, and it has to change. Whether on issues of climate, inequality or economic justice, voters think that our two-party system has failed them and is failing our future. They want a new way of doing politics – and believe progressive parties should work together to win the next election and deliver real change.

“There is now an undeniable demand from the country – not only for a new government, but a new political system.

“This polling stands as a clear warning and lesson to a Labour Party that is refusing to back PR and unwilling to work with others. 

“This poll shows overwhelming voter dissatisfaction with the way the two-party system is failing. Ignoring this risks putting the party on the wrong side of the public – and history.”

 

-ENDS-

 

For more information please contact: 

Harry Gold, Compass Media and Press Officer 

harry@compassonline.org.uk +44 (0) 7500560643

 

Notes:

 

  • The poll was undertaken for Compass by YouGov. Sample Size: 1568 Adults in England and Wales. Fieldwork: 25th – 28th November 2022
  • The Win as One campaign hub can be found at www.winasone.org.uk
  • This is a campaign aimed at England and Wales 
  • In return for their cooperation, The Green Party and other smaller parties and their voters must be incentivised and rewarded
  • There will be more than one tactical vote recommendation site – what matters is that they are aligned and aware of local issues
  • No specific form of PR system is being advocated by #WinAsOne – but it must be PR
  • No method of legislating for PR is being advocated, other than winning a necessary Commons majority for change
  • The campaign strikes a balance between candidates backing change and those that can win
  • The more candidates back change, the more support they get
  • This is a campaign initiated by Compass, the pressure group for a good society, but is an ‘open source’ campaign that will encourage local groups to develop their own demands as well as the central demands of PR and cross-party cooperation