Our democracy is broken, and it’s time we stopped pretending otherwise. The Green party should have at least 40 MPs in parliament. Instead, we have four. This isn’t just unfair – it’s a democratic crisis that leaves almost 2 million voters unheard.
The current system isn’t just flawed, it’s rigged. It’s a relic of an outdated political paradigm that serves the two big establishment parties, and stifles real change. With about 7% of the vote translating to just 0.6% of MPs, Green votes are not just underrepresented – we’re being silenced.
First past the post is outrageously outdated in today’s Britain. There is a diverse plurality of opinions, and all adults should be able to decide the country’s future by casting their vote.
This injustice isn’t just about the Greens. It’s about the 8.7 million voters who didn’t vote for Labour, Conservatives or Liberal Democrats – but only elected 45 MPs. Labour only earned a million more votes, at about 9.7m, but won 412 MPs. Labour took 10% more votes than the smaller parties and independents, but won almost 10 times as many seats in parliament. Read that again and let it sink in.
It’s about everyone who feels their vote doesn’t count. It’s about every voter in a “safe seat” whose voice is systematically ignored. And it’s about a system that turns elections into cynical games of tactical voting rather than genuine expressions of political will.
The Green party offered a truly unique manifesto at this election – one that breaks free from the economic orthodoxy of the two main parties to invest in a sustainable future and repair our crumbling public services. Nearly 2 million people voted for this vision of a greener, better future for our country. But their voices are being marginalised by a system that prioritises political expediency over true representation.
Labour now faces a moment of truth. Will it embrace real democratic reform, even if this means sacrificing its tactical voting trump card? Or will it cling to power at the expense of genuine representation? Make no mistake – if Labour chooses the latter, it is complicit in the very democratic deficit it claims to repair. How can it claim to restore faith in democracy if it continues to prop up a voting system that resulted in almost a third of those who voted electing less than 7% of MPs?
Our four Green MPs elected last Thursday will make an outsized impact on this parliament, just as Caroline Lucas did for 14 years. But imagine a parliament where 40 or more Green MPs could drive urgent action on the climate emergency, challenge the neoliberal consensus and push for truly transformative policies. Imagine an electoral system that encourages bold ideas that speak to what people really want. Imagine a political system that fosters and rewards collaboration instead of tribal politics.
To those who suggest “but proportional representation would help Reform too”, it is our job as political movements and campaigners to win these arguments at the ballot box. But stacking the odds in favour of two big, unrepresentative parties in the hope it stops people we disagree with is simply undemocratic.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. We face a climate catastrophe, growing inequality and a crisis of faith in our institutions. We need democratic renewal and a system that is fit for the diversity of modern Britain. It’s time to tear down the old first-past-the-post system and build a democracy that truly represents the plurality of views across our society. The future of our planet and our society hangs in the balance.
Ellie Chowns is the Green MP for North Herefordshire