Clegg pressed on cost of AV vote

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the planned referendum on voting reform
12 April 2012

Nick Clegg has defended plans for a referendum on changing the Westminster voting system amid criticism from his own side.

In a further sign of the bitter divisions within the coalition over the issue, Tory MPs used a session in the Commons to hit out at proposals to hold the referendum on May 5 next year.

Eleanor Laing asked the Deputy Prime Minister how he could "justify" the £100 million cost of the referendum when families and businesses were facing tough economic times.

And Christopher Chope mischievously asked Mr Clegg if the Liberal Democrats would leave the coalition if they failed to get legislation paving the way for a referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) through Parliament.

There is discontent among Tory MPs over plans to hold the plebiscite on the same day as voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland elect members of their devolved legislatures. Already, 43 have signed a Commons motion calling for the date to be changed because of fears the vote could effectively be skewed.

Mrs Laing asked: "How can you justify to hard-working taxpayers facing economic difficulty in their own families and businesses that you want to spend £100 million of their taxpayers money on a referendum on the voting system?"

Mr Clegg replied: "That of course is the reason why I think there is a compelling case to save up to £30 million in the costs of holding the elections in May... by combining them on the same day.

"I suspect you are not keen on (the proposals) but I hope you will in time come to support them."

Mr Chope, one of the rebels, then asked Mr Clegg: "If the Bill is significantly amended in committee or defeated on third reading, will the Liberal Democrats leave the coalition?"

Mr Clegg told him: "I am not sure if this will please or disappoint you when I say that the persistence and resilience of this coalition is not dependent on any one single piece of legislation."

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