1. Does your vote count?

When Andy Burnham used his Labour Party Conference speech to call for a national commission on electoral reform, one particular line caught my attention: Britain needs a voting system where every vote matters. It’s an argument I’ve been making for years — and a few days later, I found myself making it live on LBC to James O’Brien. So, in this episode, I’m picking up that conversation and asking a bigger question: is First Past the Post still fit for purpose? I look at what our current voting system actually does, why election results can bear surprisingly little resemblance to the votes cast, and what proportional representation might mean for the way Britain is governed. But I also explore something I think matters even more: whether changing the way we vote could begin to change the way we do politics. Because electoral reform isn’t just about making the numbers add up more neatly. It’s about whether people feel represented, whether their vote genuinely matters, and ultimately, whether they believe the political system belongs to them. 🎵 Music Hear Me Out — the original theme for Bow Tie Talks — and its accompanying variations were created and produced by Kayleigh Roberts. And, yes, I am enormously lucky to have married someone who can casually make my podcast sound considerably more professional than I have any right to. Clips & sources 🎙️ James O’Brien / LBC This episode includes an audio extract from my conversation with James O’Brien on James O’Brien on LBC, broadcast 1 October 2026. Watch the full exchange on LBC: https://www.lbc.co.uk/videos/2JsSfH5nS7k/ or listen on catch-up using the LBC or Global Player apps. 🎥 Andy Burnham / AFP News Agency This episode includes an audio extract from Andy Burnham’s speech at the 2026 Labour Party Conference, taken from footage published by AFP News Agency. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCHX1ALvn58 Audio excerpts are reproduced for the purposes of quotation, commentary and criticism. Copyright remains with the respective rights holders.