This week’s confirmation that the government plans to legislate for a referendum on electoral reform means that the core demand of the Vote For a Change coalition has basically been conceded. This is excellent news and it’s thanks in part to all the efforts of our supporters. Labour has understood the need to demonstrate that it is serious about putting electoral reform before the voters and so is going further than was originally announced at party conference in October. By introducing paving legislation it is setting in train a process of reform that David Cameron would find difficult to block if he lacks an outright majority.

We recognise that many electoral reformers will feel that the government ought to have gone further, by requiring referendum to be held much earlier or by recommending a more proportional system. And in a climate of such suspicion towards the promises of politicians, there will inevitably be those who doubt that the government will deliver even on its own less ambitious proposals.

But while we will be keeping an eagle eye on the passage of paving legislation through parliament, we should not underestimate the significance of what this represents. The government is now conceding that MPs lack legitimacy in the eyes of the public, and that the time has come to offer the electorate a chance to change the voting system. This might only be the first step in a much longer journey. But for all that, it is a necessary first step. And there is likely to be little appetite for turning back once the process of reform is underway.