In this opinion piece, Polly Toynbee argues that the future of the Labour Party and wider British politics could be reshaped by a potential leadership shift towards Andy Burnham, combined with a bold commitment to electoral reform.

The article suggests that a by-election victory in Makerfield could open the path for Burnham to become prime minister, alongside Wes Streeting, enabling a reset of Labour’s political direction and freeing policy ideas currently constrained within government.These could include proposals such as a wealth tax, land value tax, a national care service, and reforms to housing and welfare systems.A central theme of the article is the argument for replacing the first past the post electoral system with proportional representation (PR).

Toynbee claims that PR would better reflect Britain’s increasingly fragmented multi-party system and prevent governments from winning large parliamentary majorities on relatively small vote shares.She highlights the 2024 general election outcome as an example of this distortion.

Burnham is presented as a key advocate of PR, with experience from Greater Manchester’s supplementary voting system, which he argues encourages more cooperative, less adversarial politics.

The piece also discusses broader constitutional and political reforms, including the idea of a new manifesto, the establishment of a national commission on electoral change, and the possibility of a prompt general election following such reforms.

It further critiques the influence of money in politics, particularly donations and financial relationships linked to Reform UK and Nigel Farage, suggesting that electoral reform would help restore public trust and enable more coalition-based governance involving parties such as the Liberal Democrats and Greens.

Overall, the article presents Burnham as a potentially unifying Labour figure capable of reversing political fragmentation, while positioning proportional representation as the central mechanism for restoring legitimacy and stability to British democracy.