Why is Cameron so desperate for a No vote?
Today’s announcement of Prime Minister David Cameron’s official support for the No2AV campaign comes as no surprise to anyone.
“Cameron and the Tories have always been against voting reform – and have quickly forgotten the lessons of the expenses scandal. The Alternative Vote (AV) would give more power to the public and make MPs more accountable. On this as on so much else, now they’re in Government we can see they’re the same old Tories,” Ben Bradshaw MP campaign spokesperson for Labour Yes said today.
“The Tories are in favour of the status quo and maintaining a system that has served them well in the past electorally, but they also know that under the current system they can get away with savaging our public services with savage cuts without facing any real accountability from the electorate.”
In his speech today Mr Cameron will say that AV is “the precise opposite of what we need now”. He will also make clear his commitment to campaign, “loud and clear”, for a no vote on May the 5th.
As Cameron announces his support for No2AV, the Labour Yes campaign has launched a briefing “Why Cameron is so desperate for a no vote” which shows that the Conservative Party has historically always been opposed to electoral reform and AV in particular, not least because it is, in the words of senior Tory MP David Davis, the ‘anti-Tory’ system.
David Cameron is leading the Tory Party against AV and throwing the weight of the Conservative Party machine behind the No campaign. The Conservative Party are mobilising behind a No vote because they know a Yes vote is against the interests of the Conservative Party.
The document highlights British Election Survey modelling shows that the Tories would have lost seats in every election but one since 1983. A spokesman for the No campaign, Tory MP George Eustice, conceded on Newsnight this week that AV would cost the Tories seats.
Cameron’s own position as leader would be damaged by a No vote – he is fighting for his own political survival. The leading Conservative grassroots website, ConservativeHome, this week spelled out why a No vote in the May referendum would be gravely damaging for the leadership of David Cameron and make him a “lost leader”.
Labour Yes is campaigning with many leading Labour figures - including Labour leader Ed Miliband who declared his clear support for the yes campaign in the Guardian yesterday – for a yes vote in the May 5th referendum.
Tags: Alternative Vote, David Cameron, No2AV, Tories
