Conference on Electoral Reform (1929-1930): Papers

Background papers assembled for the Conference on Electoral Reform, including material relating to proportional representation, the alternative vote, and systems of electoral representation in foreign and Commonwealth countries.

Viscount Ullswater's letter of 17 July 1930 to the Prime Minister (Cmd. 3636), which was printed and presented to Parliament in July 1930, detailed the proceedings of the Conference, and together with other papers relating to the Conference will be found in HO 45/14027

Topics

Electoral reform

The Conference was set up in order to reach some general agreement on the amendment of British electoral laws; an investigation of the electoral system was promised in the King's Address to Parliament following the general election of 30 May 1929, in which Ramsay MacDonald's Labour government won a narrow majority of 29 over the Conservatives. The Prime Minister appointed the Rt. Hon. Viscount Ullswater, GCB, as president of the Conference. On 20 November 1929 the president selected the members from three panels of names submitted to him by the three main political parties. He chose 7 Labour nominees, 7 Conservative nominees and 4 Liberal nominees, also 3 peers, one from each party. The numbers were proportional to the votes cast for each party at the previous general election. The secretary was C G Markbreiter, CBE, an Assistant Secretary at the Home Office

The Conference was given no terms of reference, but was free to determine the subjects it would consider in the light of suggestions made by the party representatives.

The Conference held 15 meetings; the first was held on 4 December 1929. The Conference first discussed the Liberal representatives' proposal to adopt the best system to ensure that the composition of the House of Commons properly reflected the views expressed by the electorate. It considered systems of election in foreign countries and the Commonwealth, and the suggestions of the Proportional Representation Society. It also considered the method known as the 'Alternative Vote'.

It became clear that there would be great difficulty in obtaining any general agreement in answer to the question whether any, and if so what, system of election could be recommended in place of the existing system, and the Conference was wound up by its president in July 1930.