Prescott call to fight 'poisonous' vote reform

John Prescott today called for Labour to fight against the referendum planned for May 5 next year on scrapping the first-past-the-post voting system for Westminster elections.

The former deputy prime minister said the party should make the elections to the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and English councils scheduled for the same day into a "proper referendum" on the Tory-Liberal Democrat government.

And he savaged his successor Nick Clegg for throwing his weight behind the Alternative Vote system, which the Lib Dem leader denounced before the general election as a "miserable little compromise" and which was now being used as cover for Tory "gerrymandering".

Mr Clegg yesterday confirmed the date for the referendum on whether to ditch first-past-the-post as part of an electoral reform package which would also see constituency boundaries redrawn and the number of MPs cut from 650 to 600. Legislation will be tabled in Parliament before the summer.

In an email message to supporters last night, the Lib Dem leader said:

"The first-past-the-post system hands power to the lucky few who live in marginal constituencies and sucks it away from the vast majority of us who do not. So over the next 10 months the Liberal Democrats will be fighting hard, with others, for a 'yes' vote in the referendum.

"I want to sweep away the current system and replace it with the Alternative Vote."

Labour offered a referendum on AV in its manifesto for this year's general election.

But Lord Prescott said today that voting reform was being used as "cover for the biggest gerrymandering of seats that I have ever seen in my 40 years in politics".

Labour believes that coalition plans to equalise the size of constituencies - due to go ahead in time for the 2015 election regardless of the referendum result - are intended to cost the party seats in Parliament.

Writing on his blog http://www.prezza.org.uk today, Lord Prescott said: "This is a poisonous package and Labour must fight against every single part of it.

"So let's make the May elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and English councils a proper referendum on this ConDem government and a set of savage and brutal policies that no-one would have voted for at the last general election."

Lord Prescott accused Mr Clegg of "selling out" his party and Lib Dem voters by backing Conservative austerity measures and said that the referendum on voting reform was his "payoff".

"Now, on the very day plans for more than 700 new state schools were axed, Clegg championed AV - a form of voting he once described as a miserable little compromise," said the former DPM.

"And on this occasion, I agree with Nick. That's exactly what it is - cover for the biggest gerrymandering of seats that I have ever seen in my 40 years in politics."

The referendum is already facing opposition on the Labour and Conservative backbenches, with some MPs challenging the plan to hold it on the same day as Scottish, Welsh and council elections, and others demanding that a minimum of 40% of registered voters - as well as a majority of those turning out to vote - should approve any change.

Meanwhile, David Cameron's spokesman has indicated that the Prime Minister will oppose a move to AV, but is not expecting to take an active role in the referendum campaign.

In a statement to the Commons yesterday, Mr Clegg said that legislation on the boundary review would pave the way for the process to be completed by 2013, in time for the selection of candidates ahead of a general election on May 7 2015.

"That means that, in the event of a vote in favour of AV, the 2015 general election will be held on the new system and according to new boundaries," Mr Clegg told MPs.

Mr Clegg also overhauled the Government's plans to enshrine fixed-term parliaments in law, renouncing a previous plan requiring 55% of MPs to vote for a dissolution.

Under a Bill to be introduced within the next few weeks, Parliament would be dissolved and an election held if no government could be formed within 14 days of a simple majority vote of no confidence.

There would also be the power for MPs to call an "early and immediate" dissolution, but a majority of two thirds would be needed in those circumstances.

Shadow justice secretary Jack Straw said Labour backed a referendum on AV, which it promised in its own manifesto.

But he said the party would oppose the legislation because of the "outrageously partisan" boundary changes designed to "gerrymander" constituencies.

He also described the decision to move away from the 55% confidence threshold as "the first major U-turn of this government - and in less than two months".