A referendum on changing the voting system for general elections will take place on May 5th after the British government overcame stiff resistance from the House of Lords to get the legislation through parliament.
The parliamentary voting system and constituencies bill received royal assent last night after a torrid passage through the Commons and Lords.
Ministers needed to get the bill through parliament before peers began their February half-term recess today in order for preparations to be made to hold the referendum at the same time as elections to the devolved institutions and local councils in England.
The plebiscite will offer the option of dropping the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system for Westminster elections in favour of the alternative vote (AV), which allows electors to rank candidates in order of preference.
The bill’s measures will also redraw the electoral map of the UK, cutting the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and creating constituencies with roughly equal numbers of voters.
Securing the referendum was a key prize for the Liberal Democrats in the coalition agreement with the Conservatives.
In a sign of how important the legislation was Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg called off an official visit to South America this week to help secure the bill’s passage.
After the bill became law he said: “This is a real milestone in restoring trust in our political system and making our democracy fairer.
“Constituencies will be redrawn, so that votes are more equal throughout the country. And, for the first time, through a referendum, voters will have a say in the system they use to elect their MPs. Together, these measures will help put the expenses scandal behind us and start to restore trust in our political institutions.”
The final hurdle facing the bill was Labour peer Lord Rooker’s determined efforts to insist that the result of the referendum should be binding only if at least 40 per cent of voters cast their ballot.
But the move, twice passed in the Lords only to be overturned in the Commons, was defeated by 221 votes to 153, government majority 68, as the peer tried for a third time to write it into law.
In a late intervention, Cabinet minister Lord Strathclyde pleaded with peers to end the stand-off over the legislation.
The Lords leader appealed to peers to take a step back after their “remarkable journey” which had seen the bill considered over a “marathon” 17 days in committee. “The people of this country should have their say knowing that their vote in the referendum will count - no ifs, not buts, no artificial hurdles," he said.
Pleading with the Lords to end their resistance he said: “I believe we have done our duty and we should let this bill pass.”
The bill was first debated in the Commons on September 6th last year but its passage through parliament was held up amid allegations of filibustering from Labour which saw the legislation’s committee stage in the Lords drag on for 17 days.
There were several late sittings and one session which ran through the night as ministers attempted to break the deadlock.
The bill’s difficult progress threatened a procedural crisis in the Lords, with the prospect of a “guillotine” motion to cut short debate in the traditionally self-regulating chamber.
PA