MPs ‘with most to lose’ oppose change to voting

THE two MPs in the Bristol area who would suffer most from the new AV voting system are those who have been most vocal against it, according to the Yes Campaign.

Tory MPs Charlotte Leslie (Bristol North West) and Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) have both become high-profile supporters of the First-Past-The-Post system.

But the Yes Campaign says new research shows their seats are most likely to become more marginal if the new voting system were introduced.

AV – the Alternative Vote – would give voters the opportunity to put candidates in order of preference instead of the current system of putting an ‘X’ against only one of them.

A national referendum will be held on Thursday, May 5 to see if voters want to switch to the Alternative Vote system. Jimmy Clarke, Bristol Organiser for the Yes Campaign, said: “It’s rather telling that the two MPs who are most opposed to reform in the area are the two whose constituents would gain more power under AV.

“We want to end this self-interest and complacency and bring in a system that gives every voter a stronger voice and more say over who their MP is.”

The Yes Campaign quotes research by a think-tank called the New Economics Foundation which shows that a switch to AV would give more power to the average voter in Bristol.

The think-tank has calculated that the change would mean voting power would increase nationally by an average of 23.5 per cent but in Bristol, the increase would be up to 30 per cent.

The move would be particularly significant in Bristol North West and Kingswood. Bristol North West would go from being a marginal seat to very marginal while voting power in Kingswood would increase by 31 per cent.

The report is based on a comprehensive statistical analysis of General Elections in Britain during the past 30 years.

Ms Leslie said: “I’m all in favour of political reform but not for my country to be run on the least important votes of the least important candidates – that’s not reform, that’s just nuts.

“What I am completely for – and this is the important thing – is reviewing the way in which MPs spend four days of their week in Parliament which is as dislocated from everyday life as being in an airport lounge.

“You are not going to get changes in politics by fiddling with the electoral system, what is really needed is a review of how Parliament works.”

Mr Skidmore said: Regardless of whether I was representing a safe seat or a marginal, I am against AV on a point of principle because as a historian, I believe in one member (MP), one vote.”