Labour grandee John McDonnell admits people 'voted to get rid of the Tories' rather than backing his party amid growing calls for proportional representation - as graphic reveals how the election re-drew the map

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John McDonnell has admitted that people 'voted to get rid of the Tories' rather than for the Labour party amid growing calls for proportional representation. 

The Labour grandee was discussing Keir Starmer's landslide victory on July 4, when he made the admission to the panel: 'I don’t think we particularly inspired them to come out and vote Labour.'

He also vocalised his support for a new electoral system in the UK using proportional representation, claiming the low turnout out of voters this year, which was at its lowest since 2001, meant that the government 'have a fragile link on power'. 

He added that it was time to demonstrate 'competent government' but also 'inspirational government', and that Labour mustn't waste this opportunity. 

Map of the UK showing the change from the 2019 election results to the 2024 election results

The Labour grandee was discussing Keir Starmer 's landslide victory on July 4, when he made the admission to the panel: 'I don’t think we particularly inspired them to come out and vote Labour'

He also vocalised his support for a new electoral system in the UK using proportional representation, claiming the low turnout out of voters this year, which was at its lowest since 2001, meant that the government 'have a fragile link on power'

Keir Starmer trumpeted his victory at a rally in central London after the party formally crested the 325 seats needed to control the Commons

Graphic showing the difference between the votes received by each party and the number of corresponding seats they won

This comes as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also slammed the current electoral system as 'outdated' and 'not fit for purpose'.

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The party won a fifth seat in the General Election by just a whisker of a lead this afternoon after a recount in an Essex constituency saw their candidate take a majority of 98 votes.

With five MPs now under his wing in the House of Commons, Mr Farage was also quick to point out that under proportional representation his party would have actually won 100 seats.

He has strongly voiced his intention to change the current first-past-the-post system.

Across the UK, more than four million votes - accounting for 14 per cent of the total vote - were cast for Reform in the general election, with the party securing just five MPs, The Telegraph reports.

In contrast, the Liberal Democrats received fewer votes - 3.5 million - but now have 71 MPs.

Polling expert Sir John Curtice noted how Labour's vote share was expected to be up by just under two percentage points across the country from 2019.

He said Labour's victory was 'largely on the back of a dramatic 20 point decline in Conservative support'.

Graphic showing how the House of Commons will look after the July 4 general election

The general election in numbers. 

In an article for the BBC, Sir John added the increase in Labour's vote share was 'entirely as a result of a 17 point increase in support in Scotland'.

'In Wales, the party's vote has actually fallen back by four points, while in England the party's vote is largely unchanged from 2019,' he wrote.

'It is possible that Labour will secure its landslide on a lower share of the vote (35 per cent in Great Britain) than any of Tony Blair's victories, including the 36 per cent the party won in 2005.

'That itself was hitherto the lowest share of the vote won by a majority single party government. In many ways, this looks more like an election the Conservatives have lost than one Labour has won.'

Nigel Farage has won the Clacton seat, the eighth time he has attempted to become an MP

Sealing his triumph by embracing wife Victoria, Keir Starmer said the British people had 'voted to turn the page' on 14 years of Conservative rule - and delivered a riposte to his critics saying there was 'nothing inevitable' about the outcome

Asked about her party's low vote share but huge majority, Labour MP Dawn Butler said: 'I think what the discussion will be about will be proportional representation.

'The public will be talking about proportional representation and whether we need to have a debate about it. I've always said that we do need to have a debate about it.'

Former Tory leader William Hague warned Labour their landslide win had not come about due to a 'wave of enthusiasm' and said Sir Keir had to 'show results in a short time' after replacing Mr Sunak as PM.

He told Times Radio: 'When you look at the distribution of the votes, the reason why Labour has won so many seats, a huge proportion of the seats, is that the Conservative vote went down very, very heavily, the heaviest defeat in the whole history of the Conservative Party.

'The Labour vote hasn't actually gone up very much, except in Scotland. But in the rest of the UK, the Labour vote has only crept up, if at all.

'And that is a warning because it shows there isn't a wave of enthusiasm. Unless they show results in a short time, they can have things this way around in five years' time.'