British electoral system is 'unjust'

Less than three per cent of British voters have a fair share of power in elections, according to new research.

The New Economics Foundation think tank, which carried out the study, called for urgent action to reform the "unjust" UK parliamentary electoral system.

The "democratic index" is based on an analysis of British voters' ability to influence the results of elections from 1954 to 2005.

"The structure of the British electoral system is undemocratic and unequivocally unjust," said NEF research chief Nic Marks.

"It is hugely inefficient at translating the will of the electorate into the structure of government, and as a result people are simply not bothering to vote."

Marks added: "For some time voters in the UK have felt that their vote does not count. Our index reveals for the first time, just how well-founded their fears are."

The study argues that the current system is not only structurally unjust but has an inbuilt inertia to change.

"The winning party in an election is likely to have the safest seats, and its candidates are best placed to come second where there is a change," said Marks.

"In the 2005 election, the 100 constituencies where the voters with least power live were all safe Labour seats.

"The Conservatives benefited from a similar phenomenon in the 1980s. In fact, the only people who can change the electoral system in Britain are its main beneficiary, members of the party in power."