Members and supporters of the Conservative party do not generally speak in favour of proportional representation (PR) – which is hardly surprising given that the current system has given them 49 out of the past 79 years in power. There are exceptions: Ferdinand Mount, head of the No. 10 Policy Unit under Mrs Thatcher, briefly advocated it during the Conservatives’ long period out of office in the 2010s before changing his mind after the Conservatives returned to power. In a debate in 2019, Conservative MPs Dan Poulter (who defected to Labour earlier this year) and Derek Thomas spoke in favour.
Whatever the iniquities of this week’s result, Conservatives should plot a path back to power within the current system, not seek to change it.
Come Friday, there may be rather more Conservatives toying with supporting the idea – especially if the very worst projections come true and the party finds itself with even fewer seats than those serial advocates of PR, the Lib Dems.
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