The previous Government's manifesto committed to respecting the will of the British people as expressed in the 2011 voting reform referendum, in which 67.9% voted to keep the First Past the Post system for elections to the House of Commons.
 
The First Past the Post voting system for electing MPs is well established and understood by voters and the ballot paper is easy to complete with voters putting a cross (X) by a single candidate. In each constituency, the candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected and a clear link between constituents and their representatives in Parliament is established.

Further to this, while there are two occasions recently where no party has achieved an overall majority, First Past the Post more often than not results in a Government with a working majority in Parliament, making decisive Government possible. It also allows the formation of a clear opposition that can provide an alternative to, and a check on, the Government of the day. There are therefore no plans to change the voting system for elections to the House of Commons.

Regarding the Westminster Hall debate later this month, I would be unable to attend this due to a prior diary commitment relating to my work on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.