In his otherwise excellent article (Think it’s all over? Think again – if Truss wins, she will have to call an election, 25 August), Martin Kettle states: “Prime ministers who win general elections unquestionably have a mandate from the country.”
That is not “unquestionable” given the UK electoral system, which – unlike in most other democracies – does not come close to translating share of the vote into share of parliamentary seats.
From 1945 onwards, no party winning a general election has gained 50% of the vote, yet often they have had a substantial majority of seats in the Commons. Boris Johnson’s Conservatives gained a substantial majority of seats with 43.6% of the vote. A legitimate win under the current rules, yes, but “a mandate from the country”, no.
Mike Grainger
St Albans
