If the referendum was held today I think there’d be a different result, here’s the polling
Looking at the polling, which isn’t out of line with other polling, shows first past the post is lacking support due its inherent unfairness, winning a majority of 172 on a vote share of 33.7% is inequitable, like cash, first past the post feels like an anachronism in the modern way.
I suspect Nigel Farage will point out the unfairness and why Reform might not do as well in terms of seats as the polls suggest, as we can see in the chart below.
At the 2024 general election Reform received 4,117,610 which yielded 5 MPs which works out at an average of 823,522 votes per MP whereas for Labour it was a mere 23,622 votes per MP.
Farage can also point out the hypocrisy of Labour and Tory given they elect their leaders using the alternative vote system and the quasi AV system known as the exhaustive ballot system, if first past the post isn’t good enough for Labour and the Tories then it isn’t good enough for the United Kingdom.
I think one of the major obstacles to replacing FPTP is what replaces as there are so many better systems such as the aforementioned AV and my own preference which is the multi-member single transferable vote system.
TSE
PS – The chart looks at parties that stood over 500 candidates, I will analyse the breakdowns in Scotland and Wales in an upcoming thread.