Andy Burnham is expected to announce plans to advance electoral reform in his first conference speech since becoming Labour leader. According to Sina Finance, the move would mark a major shift in British politics and could eventually replace the current first-past-the-post system with proportional representation.

Government sources said Burnham will outline the broad framework in his speech and stress his commitment to putting forward reform proposals before the next general election. The plan, along with changes to social care and deeper ties with the European Union, would be among the biggest changes to Britain’s electoral system since 1918.

One option under consideration is setting up an electoral reform commission. Burnham backed that idea last year when he was mayor of Greater Manchester, saying the manifesto should commit the next Parliament to introducing proportional representation for Westminster elections.

Earlier this month, nearly 100 Labour MPs backed the plan during parliamentary consideration of the People’s Representation Bill. Florence Eshalomi, who is leading the bill, told MPs that Burnham remains committed to electoral reform, but warned that it is too early to legislate for any one option.

A YouGov poll of MPs found that a majority in the House of Commons support reviewing the first-past-the-post system. Burnham has also said that if elected prime minister, he would push for a full overhaul of the electoral system to make politics less about personal attacks and more about solving practical problems.