New Labour, new electoral system, new electoral geographies? A review of proposed constitutional changes in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom electoral system remained virtually unchanged throughout the twentieth century but three reports (two of them commissioned by the L abour government elected in 1997) published in late 1998 propose significan t changes in: the administration of elections, with specific reference to i ncreasing turnout rates; the funding of political parties and electoral cam paigns; and the electoral system itself-with a recommendation for a system that is broadly proportional but retains the link between (most) MPs and si ngle-member constituencies. This paper reviews those reports, relates them to the geography of electoral behaviour in the UK, and explores the geograp hical implications of their major recommendations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scienc e Ltd. All rights reserved.