Political

Unite votes to oppose first past the post

Makes Votes Matter report on promising news from the trade union movement:

Unite the Union voted “to adopt a policy of opposing First Past the Post and instead supporting moves to explore, select and introduce a new voting system for the UK”.

Unite are the second-biggest trade union in the UK, and the number one largest Labour Party affiliate. Whoever you vote for, this is good news, and increases the chances that electoral reform will happen…

Unite joins Labour-affiliated unions ASLEF, TSSA, the MU, and the FBU in expressing support for electoral reform. And there is support for PR among the wider trade union movement, with unions like PCS, BFAWU, and Napo all in favour of PR.

This level of support now means that, if a future Labour Conference was to consider electoral reform, the votes are there to carry a motion.

The decision by Unite follows victory in the election for its general secretary for the one candidate who explicitly supported electoral reform for the House of Commons.

This welcome news follows the defeat of a motion supporting electoral reform at Labour Conference. It secured 80% support from Labour members, but was defeated by the votes of trade unions.

UPDATE: UNISON has joined them in opposing first past the post.

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