Bishops who back poll change under fire

The Bishop of Beverley and the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds were among those who campaigners said were backing a change in the first-past-the-post voting system for “ethical and moral” reasons.

They want voters to back a switch to the Alternative Vote system – where candidates are ranked in order of preference so they have to get the backing of at least 50 per cent of the electorate to be elected – in a referendum planned for May 5.

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Richard Packer, said: “I believe that there is a strong moral case for the reform of the voting system and that AV is a considerable improvement on first past the post.”

But his intervention was immediately seized on by the No to AV campaign, which pointed out the Bishop had previously argued the Alternative Vote did not go far enough when Gordon Brown had proposed a referendum last year.

Jonathan Bartley, a spokesman for the Yes campaign for the AV system, said the bishops were backing change on moral and ethical grounds, having become concerned there are “more important issues” than the debate to date which has centred on which party would benefit from changes.

Jane Kennedy, a spokeswoman for No to AV, said: “I welcome the Bishops’ intervention in the debate, but I am concerned at the implication that it is in some way immoral to be opposed to the deeply flawed Alternative Vote system.

“The Yes campaign should not attempt to turn this debate into a moral crusade.”

A deal between Tory and Labour peers was struck in the House of Lords on Monday over legislation introducing the referendum following protracted debate including an all-night sitting.