Sprint for PR is the campaign to prevent future illegitimate right-wing majority rule in the UK. We are determined to explore methods of forcing the Labour government to legislate for the electoral reform which will deliver that goal. We campaign for progressive parties - old and new - to adopt electoral strategies that ensure future elections under First Past The Post deliver overall victory for progressives, and more proportional results that are in turn more conducive to hung parliaments, coalition governments, and electoral reform.

The 2024 general election produced the most disproportional result in UK political history. We now have five major national parties competing in an electoral system which only works properly as a two-party contest. Future elections under First Past the Post will therefore be chaotic affairs, with small changes in vote share causing large fluctuations in the number of seats won by each party.

Our electoral system is also enormously vulnerable to electoral pacts. If Reform and the Conservatives were to stand aside for each other around the country at the next election, they could turn another very poor electoral performance into a comfortable right-wing coalition victory with little prior warning. Sprint for PR are the only campaign with a PLAN for a progressive stand-aside pact which could prevent an illegitimate right-wing victory.

WE CAN LOCK THE FAR-RIGHT OUT OF POWER

IF FRENCH PROGRESSIVES WORKED TOGETHER TO STOP THE FAR-RIGHT, THEN SO CAN WE.

THE SINGLE TRANSFERABLE VOTE SYSTEM WOULD FAIRLY SUPPRESS FAR-RIGHT REPRESENTATION

THE PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES ARE NOT ADEQUATELY REPRESENTING THE DIVERSITY OF BRITISH PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL OPINION

An image of people protesting and taking pictures

TRADITIONAL PARTY LOYALTIES HAVE COMPLETELY BROKEN DOWN

WE NEED MORE CHOICE, A BETTER ELECTORAL SYSTEM, AND A PLAN TO DELIVER BOTH

The French Assembly elections of 2024 saw co-operative stand-asides cut far-right representation in half between their first and second rounds of voting.
Polling that asks how people would rank the main parties shows nearly half of voters would rank Reform last. Systems like STV would reflect who we don't want in power as well as who we do.
How Far are Old Party Loyalties Breaking Down?



SPRINT FOR PR ARE THE ONLY ELECTORAL REFORM CAMPAIGN FOCUSED ON FAIRLY RESTRICTING REPRESENTATION OF THE FAR-RIGHT

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Why do you want to Sprint for PR?

PARTIES REPRESENTING FAR MORE OF THE BRITISH PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE?

Sprint for PR is encouraging existing (and suspended) Labour MPs to break away from Labour and found new parties which represent neglected or ostracised sections of the Labour movement.

Through focused and disciplined electoral strategies, these new parties can be a help - not a hindrance - to progressive victory at the next election, while ensuring Labour never again achieve an illegitimate majority in parliament.

It should not be internal ideological warfare within Labour that determines whether the British people are able to vote for a party of the left, or a party that supports rejoining the EU, that could win in their constituency.

PERMANENT SUPPRESSION OF FAR-RIGHT REPRESENTATION?

Sprint For PR’s chosen electoral system, the Single Transferable Vote (STV), has considerable advantage over non-preferential systems, in that it ensures people can register their full political opinions, and have those reflected in their representatives.

Reform currently have the support of around 20-25% of UK voters, but most electoral systems will not capture the fact that nearly half of all voters would want ANYONE BUT Reform representing them.

A preferential system like STV ensures that it is not the political establishment conspiring to shut Reform out of power. It is voter preference that would suppress Reform representation far below the level they would gain if only voters’ first preferences were recorded.

A STRATEGY WHICH MAKES ELECTORAL REFORM TO STV INEVITABLE IN THE SHORT TERM?

If progressive parties, old and new, follow the Sprint for PR PLAN for deliberate stand-asides and vote-splitting, then there is no path towards either Labour or the Conservatives (even with an electoral pact with Reform) achieving a parliamentary majority again.

Labour then have to consider whether it is best to embrace electoral reform to STV in this parliament, or go through the inevitable process of negotiating it’s delivery with coalition partners after the next election.

The strategy might be helped by equal sizable donations to its participating parties, the Greens, Liberal Democrats, a new party of the left, and one of the centre-left. £1 million each would cover lost short money and allow new parties to establish themselves as effective political operations. A refreshed and resilient democracy for the price of a nice apartment in Mayfair.

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