Lib Dems 'to demand PR' as price for propping up Keir Starmer in No10
Lib Dems ‘will demand electoral reform’ as price for propping up Keir Starmer in No10: Ex-leader Vince Cable says first-past-the-post would go if there is a hung Parliament
The Lib Dems would demand electoral reform as the price for propping up Keir Starmer in No10, a former leader said today.
Vince Cable, a Cabinet minister in the Coalition with the Tories, said ‘serious, but deniable’ talks were already in the offing with Labour about a deal if there is a hung Parliament.
And Sir Vince made clear that scrapping the first-past-the-post voting system in favour of proportional representation would be crucial.
The comments will heap pressure on Sir Keir after he repeatedly refused to rule out doing a post-election pact with the Lib Dems to take power.
The Opposition leader was repeatedly asked in a series of broadcast interviews whether he would come to an agreement with Ed Davey’s party if he fails to win an outright majority.
But while he categorically ruled out working with the SNP – which will demand a new Scottish independence vote as the price of support – he was more circumspect about the Lib Dems.
Vince Cable (left), a Cabinet minister in the Coalition with the Tories, said ‘serious, but deniable’ talks were already in the offing with Keir Starmer’s (right) Labour about a deal
The Opposition leader was repeatedly asked in a series of broadcast interviews whether he would come to an agreement with Ed Davey’s party if he fails to win an outright majority
Closely-watched projections by academics Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher found that Labour would have 298 MPs if Thursday’s local election results were replicated at a general election
Supporters of PR say it would ensure that every individual’s vote carries the same weight, rather than rewarding parties whose support is concentrated into Commons constituencies.
However, critics have warned that it would mean fringe parties holding disproportionate power, as they would need to be appeased on order to form a stable government. It could also break the traditional connection between MPs and their constituencies.
Sir Keir has said he believes he is on course to win outright after a strong showing in last week’s local elections.
Labour gained 635 councillors across England as the Conservatives lost 960 seats under Rishi Sunak’s leadership – worse than most Tories had feared.
But the national vote share gave Sir Keir’s supporters pause for thought and Mr Sunak some grounds for hope.
The Tories were on 29 per cent, the worst in a significant ballot event since 2013.
Labour was up five points on 2019 on 36 per cent – but that was only a marginal improvement on a year ago.
Closely-watched projections by academics Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher found that Labour would have 298 MPs if Thursday’s results were replicated at a general election.
That would be up 95 on the standings from 2019 – but still around 30 short of an outright majority.
Meanwhile, the Tories are on track to plunge 127 seats to just 238.
The estimates were based on the 4.2million ballots cast for councillors, and come with the caveat that behaviour is often different in Westminster polls.
In an article on Comment Central, Sir Vince said MPs for smaller parties would be ‘crucial to the formation of a stable, Labour-led government’.
‘The SNP have mischievously volunteered support; but Labour and the Lib Dems won’t touch them with a bargepole,’ he said.
‘You can be sure that serious, but deniable, conversations will be taking place over the next year.
‘Ed Davey is right not to rule out a coalition with Labour but it is highly unlikely that the Lib Dems would go into such an arrangement this side of electoral reform being delivered.
Labour gained 635 councillors across England as the Conservatives lost 960 seats under Rishi Sunak’s (pictured) leadership – worse than most Tories had feared
‘A looser ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement is much more plausible, depending on how the numbers look after an election and subject to agreement on reform of the voting system.’
Asked yesterday about a deal with Sir Ed, Sir Keir told Sky News: ‘I’m not answering hypotheticals but we’re aiming for a Labour majority and that’s what we’re confident about.’
But he said he was ‘absolutely clear there are no terms in which we will do a deal with the SNP’.
It came as former Labour leader Sir Tony Blair warned him not to be ‘complacent’ about his prospects of becoming PM.
Labour scored significant wins in the town hall polls last week, but the former premier cautioned that the leader should not ‘take anything for granted’.
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