MINISTERS have told The Journal the coalition will hold together despite Labour seizing on “toxic” exchanges between Tories and Liberal Democrats over changing the voting system.
Tory Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles insisted the result of the May 5 referendum on the alternative vote (AV) to elect MPs would not be a “deal-breaker” for the Conservative/Liberal Democrat administration.
Lib Dem Business Minister Ed Davey echoed that view, despite condemning Tory party Conservative chair Baroness Warsi for claiming AV would hand more power to extremist groups like the BNP.
Anyone with “basic” O-level arithmetic would know changing to AV would make it harder for extremists to win, according to Mr Davey.
Shadow Defence Minister Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham, said: “Comments between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are toxic. It is poison. It is more confusion in Government direction.
“The dilemma the Lib Dems have got is that if they walk away they will get slaughtered at the next General Election. They are between a rock and a hard place.”
But Cabinet Minister Eric Pickles, who will vote no, said: “The coalition will hold together whatever the result. I think Nick Clegg has made clear that should he lose it, it wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for the coalition.
“And the reason for that is we came together because of the perilous economic situation of the country and we need to see these reforms through.”
Business Minister Ed Davey said AV would give voters more power and deal with “safe seats”.
“If you take what Baroness Warsi has said on the BNP it is worth noting that the political parties that are united in the no campaign are the Conservative, the Communists and the BNP. In other words the BNP are telling people to vote no,” said the Lib Dem minister.
He added his party, along with Scottish and Welsh nationalists, Greens and UKIP wanted the voting system changed.
“Anyone who has got basic O-Level arithmetic will know it is bad for the BNP and extremist parties because under AV you need to get 50% plus one to win. You have to appeal to the wider electorate. Extremists do not do that because they are extreme,” said Mr Davey.
But he insisted the coalition would not collapse, saying the disagreement was “hardly a secret”.
And Ian Swales, Lib Dem MP for Redcar, said: “It was accepted right from the start that this was an issue that we would differ on.”
Asked about where a no vote would leave party leader Nick Clegg, he added: “It leaves him exactly where he is. This whole thing is not a matter of Government or coalition policy.
“This is a matter of trying to see whether the public want a change in the voting system. We have a referendum and we will abide by what the public say.”
North East Tory peer Michael Bates said first past the post had worked well for 150 years because it was “one person one vote”.
It was also a sign of the coalition’s “strength” that the referendum was happening and there would “absolutely not” be any questions for David Cameron if there was a yes vote, said Lord Bates.
Guy Opperman, Tory MP for Hexham, said: “In reality I don’t think it is going to be a problem because we have entered into an agreement where they have an opportunity to express themselves. And the same applies to us.”
He also said he was opposed to AV because he did not want to see the person who came third have a chance of winning a contest.
But North East Labour peer Jeremy Beecham hinted at Lib Dem anxieties, saying: “I think the Liberal Democrats have strapped themselves to the Tory crocodile as it crosses the pond and it is going to be very difficult for them to get off.”
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