Andy Burnham Supports Electoral Reform to Foster Problem-Solving Politics
Andy Burnham, the Manchester mayor and Labour’s Makerfield byelection candidate, has declared his support for comprehensive changes to the UK electoral system aimed at making politics "less point-scoring, more problem-solving" if he becomes prime minister.
Burnham has previously advocated for the introduction of proportional representation in UK general elections, a system that would grant increased influence to minority parties such as the Greens.
During an interview on BBC Radio Manchester on Thursday, Burnham provided his clearest endorsement yet of electoral reform contingent on winning the upcoming general election and subsequently the Labour leadership contest to become prime minister.
"I believe in a different type of politics – a politics that is more place first rather than party first," Burnham said. "Where you can work with others, you do that. I do think there needs to be reform to the electoral system to enable less point-scoring, more problem-solving – that’s what I think we need. Less short term, more long term."
Burnham did not specify a timeline for implementing these reforms nor confirm whether he would initiate the process within his first year as prime minister.
Among the parties poised to benefit significantly from such electoral reform is the Green Party, which has reportedly been scaling back its campaign efforts in Makerfield in response to Burnham's commitment to proportional representation.
Critics of proportional representation argue that it could result in more fragmented government, potentially causing unstable coalitions and legislative gridlock. However, Burnham has consistently maintained that the UK suffers from an overly centralised, London-centric political system dominated by two major parties, to the detriment of the UK's nations and regions.
Burnham Addresses EU Rejoining and Political Priorities
In the same BBC Radio interview, Burnham distanced himself from suggestions that he would immediately pursue rejoining the European Union if elected.
"The country has to fix itself and we have to get to the heart of some of these fundamentals that don’t work for people and that has got to be our relentless priority in the next five or 10 years before we then worry about our relationship with other places," he stated, while reaffirming his previous view that he would like the UK to rejoin the EU "in my lifetime."
Burnham faces a challenging contest against Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party in what is considered one of the most consequential and high-profile byelections in recent decades, scheduled for 18 June.
Burnham’s Vision Rooted in Greater Manchester Experience
The former Leigh MP, first elected to parliament 25 years ago and a two-time unsuccessful Labour leadership candidate, credits his nine years as Greater Manchester mayor with shaping his vision for national political change.
"I really believe that politics in this country is at a moment where we either change it or it really becomes quite broken and people lose faith completely and that’s a dangerous place for the country to get," Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester.
"I think part of the problem is … the whole system down there’s not been run for our part of the world. Politics is made for other people in other places and not been wired for these parts of the world – and that’s what I’m in this to change. If politics doesn’t change in this country I don’t know where we will end up in a few years time."
Burnham described his leadership campaign as an effort to "change Labour" and restore it to "the party people perhaps once knew when they were younger, solidly on the side of working-class people and working-class communities."
