Florence Eshalomi MP [UK Parliament CC BY 3.0]

• MANY of us who support PR, proportional representation, were delighted when the Labour Party’s new policy programme stated that the party now recognises that “the flaws in the current voting system are contributing to the distrust and alienation we see in politics”.

This is great news. Nevertheless we are less happy that they have not yet realised that electoral reform is the only way out of the problem.

It was also good news that the recent shadow cabinet reshuffle resulted in Florence Eshalomi, MP for Vauxhall, being appointed shadow minister for democracy.

Ms Eshalomi, who worked for the Islington Labour councillors’ group until she was elected to Lambeth Council on the same day that I was elected to Islington Council, is a long-standing supporter of proportional representation.

I’m sure she is meant to be only thinking about the reforms Labour is already supporting – House of Lords, votes for 16- and 17-year-olds and more devolution.

However I am sure she will find it odd that a replacement for the Lords will almost certainly use a form of proportional representation while the House of Commons continues to use a system that adds to “the distrust and alienation we see in politics”.

I also wonder what the supporters in the Labour Party of the FPTP, first-past-the-post, system think of these changes to the policy.

BARRY EDWARDS
Address supplied