Labour backbenchers are pressing Andy Burnham to endorse an independent commission on changing the voting system used for Westminster elections, with the demand due to reach the Commons on 2 September in the form of a backbench amendment to the government's Representation of the People Bill.
The amendment, New Clause 31, was tabled by the Labour MP Alex Sobel, chair of the all-party parliamentary group for fair elections. It has not yet been considered by the House, and no decision has been taken on it.
The timing puts the question to the Prime Minister within weeks of his taking office. Burnham became Labour leader on 17 July and was appointed Prime Minister on 20 July, succeeding Keir Starmer. He sits as MP for Makerfield, a seat he won at a by-election in June.
The bill's remaining stages had originally been listed for 14 July but were rescheduled to 2 September after the Leader of the House announced a change of business on 13 July, according to the House of Commons Library.
New Clause 31 would not itself alter the voting system. It requires the Secretary of State, within three months of Royal Assent, to publish and lay before Parliament a report on the feasibility of establishing a National Commission on Electoral Reform. The commission envisaged would be independent of government, guided by expert and public involvement, and would publish final recommendations within 12 months of its launch.
Support has accumulated through the summer. By 8 July the amendment had 166 signatures spanning eight parties as well as independents, including 88 Labour MPs, politics.co.uk reported.
"My amendment to establish a national commission on electoral reform is now the most supported amendment this parliament," Sobel said.
The comparator cited by supporters is Meg Hillier's welfare amendment last year, which attracted 164 signatures. Of those, 126 came from Labour MPs — well above the Labour total on Sobel's clause.
Burnham has repeatedly described himself as a supporter of changing the system. "I am committed to proportional representation," he said during the Makerfield by-election campaign, as reported by the New Statesman.
In a Reddit question-and-answer session in July, quoted by the Electoral Reform Society, he said: "I am a strong supporter of electoral reform," adding that he would seek to persuade his party of the need for a manifesto commitment at the next election.
That falls short of what campaigners are asking of him. Make Votes Matter, Compass and Unlock Democracy launched an open letter on 17 July calling on Burnham to set up a commission within his first 100 days.
Unlock Democracy has argued that the bill is not needed to do it. "Although MPs have tabled an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill calling for a commission, the Prime Minister does not need legislation to establish one. It is entirely within his gift," the group said.
The government's stated priority for the bill is its manifesto commitments on lowering the voting age to 16 and on political donations. A Labour source was quoted by the Guardian on Tuesday as saying: "Andy remains strongly committed to electoral reform, and has indicated this is a matter for a future party manifesto."
Party members appear more enthusiastic than the leadership. Polling by Survation for LabourList found 64% wanted the government to adopt the amendment, 16% opposed it and 20% were unsure. The survey covered 812 self-selecting LabourList readers who said they were members, weighted by age, sex, region and 2025 deputy leadership vote, rather than a random sample of the membership.
The last direct Commons test came in December 2024, when Sarah Olney's ten-minute rule bill on proportional representation passed by 138 votes to 136, with 59 Labour MPs in favour.
Whether New Clause 31 is selected for debate or division on 2 September is a matter for the Speaker. A parliamentary petition calling for the same commission remains open until 30 September.
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