What is First Past the Post?
First Past the Post is the way the UK elects Members of Parliament (MPs) to Westminster. It is also used in local council elections in England and Wales.
Under First Past the Post, the UK is divided into 650 single-member constituencies. Voters choose one candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat, even if they do not secure a majority.
This simplicity is often seen as a strength – it is easy to understand and usually produces a clear winner in each constituency. But First Past the Post has significant problems in practice. It produces disproportionate results, large numbers of wasted votes and many ‘safe seats'.
What are the problems with First Past the Post?
Disproportional results
Seats are awarded to whoever comes first in each constituency, rather than in proportion to each party’s share of the national vote. This creates disproportionate results, where the number of seats a party wins does not reflect how many people voted for it.
This means First Past the Post can give a party a parliamentary majority even when it wins well under half the vote. In the 2024 General Election, Labour won 33.7% of the vote but 63.2% of the seats.
It also means that parties with similar levels of support can win very different numbers of seats. A party might have lots of support across the country, but if that support is spread thinly across many constituencies, it can struggle to win seats. For example, in 2024, Reform UK won 14.3% of the vote but just 5 seats, while the Liberal Democrats won 12.2% and 72 seats.
Wasted votes
First Past the Post creates many wasted votes. This includes ballots cast for losing candidates that do not help elect anyone. At the 2024 General Election, only around 42% of voters backed a winning candidate, meaning over half received no direct representation.
There are also wasted votes casted for winning candidates. Once a candidate has enough votes to come first, any additional votes they receive do not affect the result.
Safe seats
First Past the Post creates what are known as ‘safe seats’. These are constituencies where one party consistently has a large lead, so votes for other parties are effectively wasted.
Parties often spend less time campaigning in safe seats and focus on ‘swing seats’, where the result is more uncertain. This can leave voters in safe seats feeling ignored.
Why does First Past the Post no longer work?
Which countries use First Past the Post?
The UK and Belarus, a dictatorship, are the only countries in Europe that use First Past the Post.
Around the world, First Past the Post is used in many former British colonies, such as the United States, Canada, India, and dozens of Caribbean and African countries.