Back AV to block Tories – Cable

Vince Cable: ‘Rise above narrow tribalism’

Business Secretary Vince Cable has urged Labour supporters to back a switch to the alternative vote to help prevent Conservative victories.

Tory governments had dominated for many years without securing most of the popular vote, the senior Lib Dem said.

Labour and the Lib Dems need to rise above “narrow tribalism” to prevent the same thing happening in this century, he said in the Guardian.

UK voters will be asked on 5 May whether they want to adopt AV.

Currently Westminster MPs are elected by the first-past-the-post system, but the 5 May referendum will ask about switching to the alternative vote, where voters rank candidates in order of preference.

In his interview Mr Cable said: “It’s been largely forgotten that Liberal and Labour MPs voted AV through the House of Commons but in 1931 the reform was never completed.

“Conservative governments have dominated ever since without securing a majority of the popular vote.

“It’s time for the progressive majority in the country to rise above this narrow tribalism and support this reform because we need to make sure the progressive majority wins elections in this century and not the Conservatives as they did, by the back door, for two-thirds of the last century.”

The Conservatives agreed to a referendum being held as part of the coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats, but most Tory MPs, including Prime Minister David Cameron, are campaigning against any change.

The Labour Party is split over AV – leader Ed Miliband supports changing the voting system but many senior politicians in his party have joined the “no” campaign.

Mr Cable also criticised the personal attacks on Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg by the Conservatives.

Mr Cable told the Guardian he was alarmed to find a leaflet from the no campaign delivered through his door, which included a “brutal personal attack on Nick Clegg for his having loyally supported coalition policies including difficult public spending cuts”.

The leaflet was promoted by William Norton, a Tory councillor in Redditch, Worcestershire, the Guardian reported.

“The claims that [Mr Clegg] promised not to embark on tough economic policies are simply false,” Mr Cable said.

“I find it difficult to reconcile this leaflet attacking coalition economic policy with the fact that Mr Cameron is personally leading the no campaign and the leaflet is produced by a leading Tory donor.

Nick Clegg says a change to AV will outlast all current leaders

“He [Cameron] may not directly control what his supporters are up to. But he must make it clear that he doesn’t condone and will endeavour to stop personal attacks on his deputy for loyally supporting coalition policy.

“To stand by and let this happen is dangerous and puts considerable strain on the coalition. I haven’t really reacted to this spat. But that leaflet was absolutely dreadful. It does take it on to a different level.”

Later, Mr Clegg will say the yes campaign is “truly” cross-party, including the Labour leadership, but admit that relations with that party are “often strained”.

“There is a proud history of progressive politics in the Labour Party just as there is in the Liberal Democrats. A Yes vote would be a victory for progressive politics,” he will say at an AV rally in Norwich later.

“This change will outlast David Cameron, Ed Miliband and myself. You have a chance to make a real, progressive change to our democracy – don’t miss this chance to take it.”

Speaking of those in Labour who oppose AV, Mr Clegg said: “The John Prescotts, David Blunketts, John Reids and Michael Martins are in the bizarre situation of fighting a campaign that gets the vast majority of its funding from big Tory donors they have always criticised.”

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