Quarter of seats haven’t changed hands since WWII

New analysis by the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) has revealed that one in four seats have been held by the same party since the Second World War.

That means that 170 seats haven’t changed parties in seven decades, with 31 per cent of Conservative seats and 26 per cent of Labour seats having been held since at least 1945.

The 2017 UK General Election is taking place today (8 June) until 22:00 BST, whereby votes will be counted for the 650 Westminster MPs to be elected.

Katie Ghose, chief executive of the ERS, said: “It’s no wonder people feel alienated by politics when many feel their vote for another party simply won’t count. With a quarter of seats not changing hands since the Second World War, voters become disillusioned and other parties focus their efforts elsewhere in the hyper-marginals. That’s no way to run a democracy.

“First Past the Post turns our elections into a postcode lottery – in some seats your vote simply doesn’t have the impact it has elsewhere. While it’s always vital to have your say, the way we elect our MPs leads millions to switch off – or feel forced to ‘hold their nose’ at the ballot box to maximise their voting power.

“Westminster’s current voting system is a recipe for stagnation. But under a fair and proportional voting system, as in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you have a number of representatives locally and can rank them by preference – making elections far more competitive and ensuring seats match votes.