Peter Hoskin

The AV rebels change tack

A little snippet from today’s Times (£) that is worth noting down:

“Tory rebels will this week lift their threat to the date of next year’s proposed referendum on voting changes – because they believe May 5 offers the best chance of stopping the alternative vote (AV) system. That date coincides with the council elections in Scotland, Wales and most of England, and was thought likely to boost the ‘yes’ vote for replacing first-past-the-post general elections. Nick Clegg insists that the Lib Dems will not budge on the date. But a tactical rethink will see many AV sceptics wave it through when the Bill comes to the floor of the Commons this week. A reassessment by the ‘no’ campaign believes that a stand-alone referendum on a different date would give Labour and the Liberal Democrats a single cause over which to unite. Turnout would be much higher among the AB social groups who are most likely to support change.”

This not only comes some way to meeting David Cameron’s conference plea, “don’t try and wreck the bill, let’s get on and have the debate in the country and win the argument” – but it also reflects growing confidence, in Tory circles, that the No campaign can do just that. After a good week in Birmingham, the AV doubters now seem to be uniting for battle next May. 

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in