Tories may have no alternative on alternative vote
On Newsnight on Tuesday night I briefly reported how Prime Minister Gordon Brown is about to agree to stiffen Labour's pledge to a referendum on introducing the Alternative Vote - or AV - voting system.
The new plan is to legislate before the election for a referendum to be held after the election, no matter what the result.
So David Cameron would be lumbered with the referendum if he wins next May, and could only stop it by passing new legislation, which might be difficult when he will not have a majority in the Lords, and maybe not the Commons either.
I am told that at Monday's Cabinet Committee where this new policy was all but agreed, Mr Brown firmly told ministers: "Now, none of you must tell the press about this."
But then they did just that. Which just shows, of course, how much authority Mr Brown has these days.
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
Comment number 1.
At 2nd Dec 2009, barriesingleton wrote:PARTY POLITICS AT ITS MOST PARTY POLITICAL
SPOIL PARTY GAMES
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Comment number 2.
At 2nd Dec 2009, Duncan wrote:"Now, none of you must tell the press about this."
Perhaps this is just Gordon Brown's cunning way of leaking stories to the press. He discusses things in cabinet then ends by saying: "Now, none of you must tell the press about this", and, hey presto, the story's leaked.
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