Region decisive in saying ‘no’ to vote change

More than two thirds of voters backed keeping the current first-past-the-post system after a bruising campaign which has heightened tensions within the coalition after the “no” campaign targeted Nick Clegg for fierce criticism.

Not a single district in Yorkshire voted in favour of electing MPs by the alternative vote system, where candidates are ranked in order of preference, with three quarters saying “no” in several areas.

The comprehensive verdict is a major blow to Mr Clegg and the Liberal Democrats, who demanded the referendum as a condition of joining the coalition and would have been the main beneficiaries under the alternative vote.

Last night Mr Clegg could not hide his disappointment, but “accepted” the verdict and said it was time to “move on”.

He said: “This is a bitter blow for all those like me who believe in the need for political reform, but the answer is clear and the wider job of the Government and Liberal Democrats in Government will continue.”

But former Labour Cabinet Minister Margaret Beckett, President of NO to AV, said: “For many years it has been said that the British people were demanding a change to our electoral system. I have always doubted that. Now for the first time, their view has been sought and it could not have been more clearly expressed.

“The British people agreed with us that the Alternative Vote system is an unfair, expensive and unwanted change. At the end of the day they chose to keep One Person, One Vote, and I am delighted.”

Although it is not the proportional voting system the Lib Dems really long for, they backed AV arguing it is fairer than the current system. The Tories united behind the first past the post system which they argued was simple and produces strong governments, pitting them directly against their coalition partners.

Labour was split over the issue, with Ed Miliband supporting the “yes” campaign but half of his party backing the other side.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, 1.53 million people voted in the referendum, a turnout of 39.9 per cent, which was higher than many expected. Nearly 69 per cent of voters rejected the change, almost exactly the same as the national figure.

The region’s most resounding result came in North East Lincolnshire, where 75.5 per cent of voters said “no”. The closest result was in Sheffield, Mr Clegg’s adopted city, but even there 61.7 per cent rejected any change. Nationally, 12.7m voted “no” while only 5.8m said “yes”

No campaigner Antony Calvert, the Tory candidate who stood against Ed Balls in Morley and Outwood at last year’s General Election, was delighted.

“I think people are very sceptical of change,” he said. “I think this has killed the debate stone dead for at least another Parliament or two.” He was “reassured the British public has more sense about them than the Yes campaign gave them credit for.”

Jane Thomas, Yorkshire regional organiser of the Yes campaign and a member of the Labour Party’s National Policy Forum, said: “I think it’s unfortunate that this has been really a campaign about Clegg. The No campaign chose to use him all over their literature.”

She was not surprised the Yes campaign had failed “given that the discussion has been conducted by the media and focused on Clegg.”