Assembly calls for Mayoral voting changes to be withdrawn

The Elections Bill is currently before Parliament and it aims to amend the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to change the system for electing the Mayor of London.

The London Assembly has today requested that this amendment be withdrawn or removed from the final Bill or amended to allow for a referendum to be held to establish Londoners’ consent for this change.

Caroline Russell AM, who proposed the motion said:

The Government has added a worrying new clause to the Elections Bill that would change the way London’s Mayor elections work, replacing the established first and second preference system with first past the post.

"There has not been a single hour of debate on these proposals in Parliament.

"The GLA and our system to vote for a Mayor was originally founded by a referendum of Londoners. Any change to the way we vote for the Mayor of London should not only have proper scrutiny in Parliament, but importantly Londoners should have a say too.

"The current voting system means the Mayor must win the support of a majority of Londoners casting their votes. This strengthens democracy in our city, makes sure the Mayor of London listens to all Londoners, and that they reach out across political divisions."

Leonie Cooper AM, who seconded the motion said:

“These proposals would turn the voting system for London elections on its head.

“The current system, which was agreed by Londoners in a referendum, has worked well and strengthened democracy in the capital for over two decades- so it makes no sense to suddenly turn it upside down.

“At the very least, the Government should give due respect to the devolved powers of the Greater London Authority and give Londoners their say on the changes through another referendum”.

The full text of the motion is:

This Assembly notes that amendment NC1 to the Elections Bill currently before Parliament aims to amend the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to change the system for electing the Mayor of London.

This amendment would remove the ability of voters to choose a first and second preference and remove the requirement for someone to be elected Mayor only after a majority of voters who express a preference have chosen them.

We believe that:

1. This would be a backwards step, depriving Londoners of their second preference votes and the ability fully to express their choices for Mayor.
2. The fact that currently the Mayor must win the support of a majority of those casting their votes strengthens democracy and makes sure the powerful executive office of the Mayor of London has to listen to all Londoners and reach out across political divisions.
3. Any such fundamental change to the terms that govern the elected office of Mayor of London should not be agreed only by Parliament, but be subject to a referendum of Londoners, in the same way that the original founding of the GLA was supported by a referendum. The proposals put to referendum were explicit about the voting system to use and it followed a consultation where the majority of responses were against the use of the first-past-the-post system to elect the Mayor, and which gave strong support for a system which would give the winning candidate a clear majority.

We therefore call on the Chair of the Assembly to write to London’s MPs, relevant ministers and the Prime Minister to request that this amendment is withdrawn or removed from the final Bill or amended to allow for a referendum to be held to establish Londoners’ consent for this change.

We also ask that the Chair discusses this motion with the current Mayor, with the aim of agreeing a joint approach to this issue.