Brown promises referendum on voting reform
Brown promises referendum on voting reform
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Tuesday, 02, Feb 2010 12:54
By Richard James.
Gordon Brown has announced he will push for a referendum on Britain's voting system if Labour wins the general election, backing a move away from the current "first past the post" method.
While acknowledging that there would be no change before this year's election, the prime minister said the "alternative vote" system, where candidates are ranked in order of voters' preference, would increase choice for the voting public.
During his speech in central London today, Mr Brown said if he won the coming election he would want a referendum on changing the voting system before the end of October 2011. The plan would be inserted in the constitutional reform and governance bill, currently before parliament.
The opposition parties though have criticised the plans, with even members of the prime minister's own party sceptical of the plans.
Under the AV system, voters rank candidates in order of preference, with whoever gets over 50 per cent of the votes in the first round being elected. If this does not occur though, the votes for the least supported candidate are redistributed until a winner is found.
Supporters of the system claim it has the benefit of ensuring everyone voted into parliament holds majority support in the constituency.
Mr Brown claims the system increases links between MPs and their constituents, claiming all members of parliament need to concentrate on serving public.
"It means that each elected MP will have the chance to be elected with much broader support from their constituency, not just those who picked them as their first choice," he said.
"In short it offers a system where the British people can, if they so choose, be more confident that their MP truly represents them, while at the same time remaining directly accountable to them."
Calling for a change in the British political system, the prime minister said on Tuesday public trust in Westminster needed to be restored, especially in the wake of the damaging expenses scandal.
He also said local governments need to be handed greater power to deliver better local services, with people handed more power and a larger say in how their communities are run.