322 lines
9.2 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
322 lines
9.2 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
news
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politics
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av-referendum
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8490194
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-----
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# AV referendum: Chris Huhne in Cabinet 'bust-up' with David Cameron and
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George Osborne in Cabinet over voting reform leaflets
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## The fractious Coalition split over voting reform led to a Cabinet
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confrontation yesterday when the Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary attacked
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David Cameron and George Osborne over the tactics being used by the 'No'
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campaign.
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![David Cameron and Nick Clegg go head-to-head over voting reform][1]
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Mr Clegg will claim that AV would give voters more power over politicians and
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reduce the number of safe seats in which MPs have a constituency for life
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Photo: GETTY
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By Christopher Hope and Rosa Prince 9:00PM BST 03 May 2011
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[Comments][2]
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The fractious Coalition split over voting reform led to a Cabinet
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confrontation yesterday when the Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary attacked
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[David Cameron][3] and George Osborne over the tactics being used by the 'No'
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campaign.
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Chris Huhne expressed his anger with the Prime Minister and Chancellor over
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claims made by the 'No' campaign in leaflets published ahead of this
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Thursday's referendum on whether to adopt the [Alternative Vote][4] system.
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Some sources described a "bit of a bust up" as the Energy secretary "went for"
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Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne.
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_The Daily Telegraph_ understands that Mr Huhne waved the 'No to AV' leaflets
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at the pair at the beginning of yesterday's Cabinet meeting in Downing Street
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and protested about their content.
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One Liberal Democrat source said that Mr Huhne wanted to raise concerns "felt
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by lots of Liberal Democrat supporters on the Yes side" about the No campaign.
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## Related Articles
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* [A No vote is essential to save our honest system][5]
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04 May 2011
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* [One year of the coalition][6]
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10 May 2011
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* [Rent out historic Westminster hall for profit, MPs say][7]
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10 May 2011
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* [Chris Huhne: Cameron unwise to hire Andy Coulson][8]
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09 May 2011
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* [Chris Huhne denies penalty points claims][9]
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08 May 2011
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* [AV referendum guide][10]
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04 May 2011
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The source added: "Sometimes a frank 'clear the air' discussion about things
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that people feel strongly about are helpful rather than damaging. Political
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discussions have happened before in Cabinet."
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The source added: "He was confronting his colleagues about that. The
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discussion was whether it was appropriate to do that in Cabinet."
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As the row became heated, Mr Osborne told Mr Huhne that the row was
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inappropriate: "This is the Cabinet, not some sub-Jeremy Paxman interview."
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A Downing Street spokesman said AV "was raised in the context of Parliamentary
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business" but would not be drawn on whether it was considered appropriate.
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The Energy secretary confronted the Prime Minister and Chancellor over the No
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campaign's claims in leaflets published ahead of Thursday's referendum.
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The row further raises the tension ahead of the referendum on whether to scrap
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the current first past the post voting system and replace it with the
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Alternative Vote.
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The issue has split the coalition - the Conservatives want to keep first-past-
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the-post while the Liberal Democrats backing the campaign for the alternative
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vote.
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Mr Huhne, one of the most vocal critics of the No campaign's tactics, last
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month compared claims made by his cabinet colleague Baroness Warsi to Nazi
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propaganda.
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Speaking on BBC Radio on Tuesday, Lady Warsi said Mr Huhne's suggestion she
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had resorted to a "Goebbels-like" propaganda was "a choice that Chris made".
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She told BBC Radio Four's World at One programme: "It's not the language I
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would have used. And I'm not sure that many of his own Liberal Democrat
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colleagues agree with the language that he used."
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Later at a Westminster rally organised by the No Campaign, Theresa May, the
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Home Secretary, complained that there had been too much "name calling" during
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the campaign.
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She said: "For a referendum that is about the health of our democracy it is
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fair to say that the campaign has been a bit of a disappointment."
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John Healey, the Labour health spokesman, said he was opposing his own party
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leader Ed Miliband and opposing change because it was "not fair" and "not fit
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for purpose".
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He told supporters of the No campaign: "The more people look at AV, the less
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they like it… The principle of one person, one vote is what makes our
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democracy fair."
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At the same rally, Lord Owen, the former Labour foreign secretary and founder
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of the SDP, the forerunner of the Lib Dems, criticised Nick Clegg for not
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"waiting until the Coalition had proved itself" before having the referendum.
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Meanwhile, with the No campaign leading in the polls, senior figures in the
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Yes campaign sought to blame each other for the likely loss of the referendum.
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In a press conference in London, Ed Miliband claimed Mr Clegg had been
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detrimental to their shared cause.
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He said: "Nick Clegg has not been a help to this AV campaign because there is
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a danger that too many people see it ... as a referendum on Nick Clegg.
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"I urge them not to see it as a referendum on Nick Clegg or David Cameron or
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me but as a chance to change our voting system for the better."
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Harriet Harman, Labour's deputy leader, said Mr Clegg had been "duped" by Mr
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Cameron into holding the referendum on the day of local elections in England,
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and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland
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Assemblies, which meant that party political infighting continued during the
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campaign.
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She said: "It should have been allowed a separate space where everyone could
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focus on the constitutional issues and not have it seen through the prism of a
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very immediate competition for council seats and seats in Wales and Scotland.
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"He has been duped by Cameron into allowing it to be held on this day."
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Earlier Mr Cameron had distanced himself from the official No to AV campaign's
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controversial posters which used images of a sick baby.
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They also suggested the cost of introducing an AV system could be up to £250m
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- something the Yes camp disputes.
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He told BBC Radio 4's Today's programme he was "directly responsible" only for
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the official Conservative Party no campaign but he stood by the No campaign's
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claims.
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[What are these?][12]
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* Share: [Share][11] [ ][13] [ ][14]
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[Tweet][15]
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Chris-Huhne-in-Cabinet-bust-up-with-David-Cameron-and-George-Osborne-in-
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Cabinet-over-voting-reform-leaflets.html
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Telegraph
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## [AV Referendum][4]
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* ### [News »][16]
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* ### [Politics »][17]
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* ### [UK News »][18]
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* ### [David Cameron »][3]
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* ### [Christopher Hope »][19]
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In news
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[![Ballot box. General Election 2010: is first-past-the-post on its last legs?
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][20] ][21]
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### [AV Referendum results map][21]
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[![Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg Leaves His Home Ahead Of The AV
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Result][22] ][23]
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### [Clegg: we have to 'move on' after AV rejection][23]
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[![Cameron has seen off AV ? but now he must see off Salmond; SNP leader Alex
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Salmond boards a helicopter at Strathaven Airfield on May 4; PA][24] ][25]
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### [Cameron has seen off AV - but now he must see off Salmond][25]
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[![][26] ][27]
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### [How the UK would look under AV][27]
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[![AV referendum and local elections in pictures][28] ][29]
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### [AV referendum and local elections][29]
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[X][11] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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[What are these?][12]
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Share:
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* [ ][11]
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* [ ][13]
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* [ ][14]
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* [Tweet][15]
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* Advertisement
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![][30]
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][31] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][32]
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[![Follow The Telegraph on social media][33]][34]
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## [AV Referendum »][4]
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[AV Referendum results map][35]
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[Local Elections 2011][36]
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[Scottish Election 2011][37]
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[Welsh Assembly results][38]
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Advertisement
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[UK Political Database »][39]
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Search Telegraph.co.uk's UK Political Database.
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Advertisement
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[UK Political Database »][39]
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Search Telegraph.co.uk's UK Political Database.
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