8 hours ago Sir John Curtice Professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde BBC Under the first-past-the-post electoral system, the candidate or candidates with the most votes in each seat are elected. It is used in the UK at general elections and in local elections such as the ones just held in England. An alternative is a system of proportional representation under which some attempt is made to distribute seats to reflect the popularity of parties. Both the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales use systems of proportional representation. First-past-the-post has long been regarded as a friend of the Conservative and Labour parties. It makes it difficult for small parties whose vote is evenly spread geographically to win seats. This helps to keep potential challengers to the Conservatives and Labour out of the House of Commons. Indeed, because that is the case, voters may be reluctant to vote for them in the first place.…