Covid-19 has exposed politics as not fit for purpose

The Liberal Democrats will today lead a debate in the House of Commons calling for a "radical overhaul" of Westminster politics, warning it is "not for purpose" to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The debate - the first in the House of Commons chamber on electoral reform since 2016 - will be led by Liberal Democrat Constitutional Affairs spokesperson Wendy Chamberlain.

The North East Fife MP is expected to declare that Westminster's broken political system is shutting out people who "need their voices heard now more than ever" during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Liberal Democrats will use the debate to call on other political parties to join them in getting behind change and reforming the way people elect MPs with a proportional voting system.

Speaking ahead of the debate, Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain said:

"If the last three years have shown politics isn't working for people then the coronavirus crisis has made it clearer than ever that reform is needed.

"Covid-19 has exposed the political culture in Westminster as not fit for purpose. Our democracy doesn't need piecemeal change, it needs a radical overhaul.

"Over the coming months and years we're going to face numerous issues as we seek to overcome and recover from the coronavirus crisis. We need to work together - yet our Westminster politics is adversarial and divisive.

"Simply put, that means the true variety of the electorate's voices are not heard. Many of those people are the same people who need their voices heard now more than ever. It's time all parties got behind change."