Coalition splits on show as Bill over voting reform clears its first hurdle

The legislation paving the way for a referendum on May 5 next year was given a second reading by 328 votes to 269, a Government majority of 59.

But Tory backbenchers spoke out against changing the first-past-the-post system to Alternative Vote (AV), with one claiming the referendum was the "high price we have to pay" for Liberal Democrats joining the coalition.

Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who opened debate on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, insisted the reforms would restore faith in the way MPs were elected. The Bill will also reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and aim to make constituency sizes more equal.

Conservative backbencher Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) said she would support the Bill because it was a "matter of honour" to fulfil the coalition agreement, "but what a high price we have to pay" in both political and financial terms.

Tory former Minister David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) said: "What I fear is that we will have a circumstance where maybe 30 per cent of the population will turn out, maybe 15 per cent or 16 per cent will vote for this system and on that basis we will have the biggest change in our constitutional history for half a century."

A Labour amendment condemning the Bill for joining the AV proposals with an attempt to "gerrymander constituencies" was defeated by 254 votes to 347, Government majority 93.

Among 10 Tories voting rebels was Philip Davies (Shipley).