Electoral reform could open the door to 'racist, bigoted, eccentric' candidates playing a greater role in government, the Chancellor has warned.

As Andy Burnham looks to rip up the current rules, it has emerged that John Healey said axeing the first–past–the–post model could hand more power to fringe parties under an 'unfair, perverse' system.

The Prime Minister used his Labour conference speech to announce the creation of a new 'national commission' to look at electoral reform. 

Mr Burnham, a long–time supporter of proportional representation, demanded a change so that 'everyone's vote counts and everyone's voice is heard'.

Proportional representation would give smaller parties the chance to have a hand in governing based on their vote share.

Writing in The Independent in 2011, the last time changes were proposed, Mr Healey, pictured, warned that any shake–up of the system could hand power to 'fringe' parties. 

Referring to the dangers of an alternative vote [AV] model, he said we should not 'throw away' a system that works.

Under the AV model, voters rank candidates in order of preference. Those with the lowest number of votes are eliminated and any votes for them are transferred to the voter's next choice until one candidate has a majority.

'Our democracy has been built on one person, one vote,' he wrote. 'The last thing we should do is throw away what works in favour of an unfair, perverse electoral system.

'Politicians should be seeking the trust of voters, not encouraging them to move the goalposts.'

Mr Healey added that AV could mean the 'unedifying prospect' of the major parties 'chasing transfers from racist, bigoted, eccentric and single–issue candidates'.

It came as Mr Burnham's announcement sparked warnings that Britain is set for a future of 'rainbow coalition' governments if first–past–the–post is axed.

An analysis of general election results since the end of the Second World War shows how Britain would likely have been left without a majority government for more than half a century had a proportional representation system been used.

The Electoral Reform Society says that under the single transferable vote (STV) system – a form of proportional representation used for elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly – Labour would have been 99 seats short of a majority in 2024.

It means Mr Burnham could now be governing as a minority administration propped up by the Lib Dems and the Greens.

In 2019, Boris Johnson would have fallen 18 seats short of a Tory majority under an STV system. This would have severely imperilled his chances of fulfilling his promise to 'Get Brexit Done'.