Jenkins Commission (UK)
Encyclopedia
The Independent Commission on the Voting System, popularly known as the Jenkins Commission after its chairman Roy Jenkins
, was a commission into possible reform of the United Kingdom
electoral system.
The commission was asked to take into account four requirements:
The commission reported in September 1998 and suggested the alternative vote top-up
or AV+ system, which would directly elect some MPs by the alternative vote, with a number of additional members
elected from top up lists similarly to mixed member proportional representation
. A Single Transferable Vote
system was considered by the commission, but rejected on the grounds that it would require massive constituencies of around 350,000 electors resulting in an oppressive degree of choice, (i.e. too many candidates to choose from.) Also, the counting of votes in STV is "incontestably opaque" and different counting systems can produce different results. Finally, Jenkins rejected STV because it was a different system from those used in European
and devolved parliaments, as well as the London Assembly
.
By 2001, following the Jenkins' Commission however, the Labour manifesto now stated:
And in the 2005 manifesto, reference to the Jenkins Report itself (Jenkins had died in 2003) was dropped:
In the 2010 manifesto, Labour promised a referendum on a pure AV system, which had been rejected by the Jenkins commission due to it not offering broad proportionality. (The Jenkins commission had also taken the view that such a minor change would not merit a referendum.)
After the 2010 election, with a hung parliament
, and the Liberal Democrats potentially holding the balance of power, AV+ was again the subject of discussion, as a potential part of a coalition deal. However, the eventual coalition's deal - between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives - specified that there would be a referendum on "the introduction of the Alternative Vote". This was confirmed in February 2011, when the referendum on AV (not AV+) was approved by Parliament, with the date set as the 5th of May that year.
The referendum took place on Thursday 5 May 2011. The result was an overwhelming "no" in favour of keeping the current "first-past-the-post" (plurality) system and out of the 440 voting areas in the referendum 430 areas along with all twelve voting regions of the United Kingdom returned "no" votes and with only 10 areas returning "yes" votes in favour of AV. Six of the ten areas were in London with Oxford and Cambridge being the only areas outside of London in England to vote "yes". The other two areas that voted "yes" were in Scotland which were Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Kelvin.
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
, was a commission into possible reform of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
electoral system.
The commission
The commission was set up in December 1997 by the Labour government with the support of the Liberal Democrats, to investigate alternatives to the single member plurality (or "first past the post") electoral system used for British general elections. A referendum was planned on whether to change the voting system.The commission was asked to take into account four requirements:
- broad proportionality,
- the need for stable government,
- an extension of voter choice, and
- the maintenance of a link between MPs and geographical constituencies.
The commission reported in September 1998 and suggested the alternative vote top-up
Alternative Vote Top-up
The Alternative Vote Plus , or Alternative Vote Top-up, is a semi-proportional voting system. AV+ was invented by the 1998 Jenkins Commission which first proposed the idea as a system that could be used for elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.As the name suggests, AV+ is an additional...
or AV+ system, which would directly elect some MPs by the alternative vote, with a number of additional members
Additional Member System
The Additional Member System is the term used in the United Kingdom for the mixed member proportional representation voting system used in Scotland, Wales and the London Assembly....
elected from top up lists similarly to mixed member proportional representation
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
. A Single Transferable Vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system was considered by the commission, but rejected on the grounds that it would require massive constituencies of around 350,000 electors resulting in an oppressive degree of choice, (i.e. too many candidates to choose from.) Also, the counting of votes in STV is "incontestably opaque" and different counting systems can produce different results. Finally, Jenkins rejected STV because it was a different system from those used in European
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
and devolved parliaments, as well as the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
.
Manifesto promises
Labour's manifesto in 1997 had stated its original position as:By 2001, following the Jenkins' Commission however, the Labour manifesto now stated:
And in the 2005 manifesto, reference to the Jenkins Report itself (Jenkins had died in 2003) was dropped:
In the 2010 manifesto, Labour promised a referendum on a pure AV system, which had been rejected by the Jenkins commission due to it not offering broad proportionality. (The Jenkins commission had also taken the view that such a minor change would not merit a referendum.)
After the 2010 election, with a hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
, and the Liberal Democrats potentially holding the balance of power, AV+ was again the subject of discussion, as a potential part of a coalition deal. However, the eventual coalition's deal - between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives - specified that there would be a referendum on "the introduction of the Alternative Vote". This was confirmed in February 2011, when the referendum on AV (not AV+) was approved by Parliament, with the date set as the 5th of May that year.
The referendum took place on Thursday 5 May 2011. The result was an overwhelming "no" in favour of keeping the current "first-past-the-post" (plurality) system and out of the 440 voting areas in the referendum 430 areas along with all twelve voting regions of the United Kingdom returned "no" votes and with only 10 areas returning "yes" votes in favour of AV. Six of the ten areas were in London with Oxford and Cambridge being the only areas outside of London in England to vote "yes". The other two areas that voted "yes" were in Scotland which were Edinburgh Central and Glasgow Kelvin.
See also
- Elections in the United KingdomElections in the United KingdomThere are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday...
- Jenkins European CommissionJenkins Commission (EU)The Jenkins Commission is the European Commission that held office from 6 January 1977 to 6 January 1981. Its President was Roy Jenkins.-Work:It was the successor to the Ortoli Commission and was succeeded by the Thorn Commission...