Scotland takes lead in backing UK voting shake-up

A YouGov survey for The Scotsman, ahead of a referendum on 5 May, shows narrow support for swapping the current first-past-the-post system for the Alternative Vote (AV) which allows candidates to be ranked in order of preference.

Last night, experts said the result in Scotland could prove decisive in what is likely to be a knife-edge UK-wide vote, as the referendum is being held on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections.

Our poll shows 41 per cent of the Scottish electorate said they were in favour of a AV for electing MPs, while 38 per cent want to retain the present system.

In contrast to Scottish opinion, a separate YouGov poll taken across the UK as a whole shows a gap of just one percentage point between the Yes and No votes, with 41 per cent against AV and 40 per cent in favour of change.

Today's poll comes as the political battle over voting reform becomes increasingly bitter, with former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown accusing Conservative Chancellor George Osborne of being part of a dirty tricks campaign by complaining about the Yes campaign's "dodgy" funding.

The clash between the two illustrates the deep divisions that have emerged between the Lib Dems and the Tories, who agreed to hold the referendum when they formed the coalition last May, but with the two parties taking different sides. Writing in The Scotsman today, political analyst John Curtice says both surveys show there is still "everything to play for" in the battle between the Yes and No camps.

He adds: "In the event of very narrow outcome across the UK as whole, a higher turnout in Scotland together with a more favourable Yes vote could prove decisive."

• Leader: Cosla's criticism of election promises worth listening to

The poll suggesting narrow backing for AV among the Scottish electorate comes as former Labour Cabinet minister Lord Reid is today due to share a platform for the No campaign with Prime Minister David Cameron.

The former home secretary, who is to appear at the event in London with Mr Cameron, claimed first past the post was the "British way".

He said: "There are some issues so important that they transcend party politics, issues on which people expect politicians to put aside their party differences for the sake of the people and the public interest.

"Foremost among them is the right of the British people to decide their government - and to do so in a way that is fair and gives everyone an equal say.

"This is about defending the right of one person, one vote - a system that has been the foundation of our democracy for generations.

"A system that gives exactly the same voting rights to every single person, irrespective of background.

"It is the British way, it is the fairest way and it is the best way.

"Whatever else may separate us, we are united in believing that politicians are the servants of the people, and that in choosing their government, all citizens should have a fair and equal say. AV would change all of this."

Meanwhile, Joan Ryan of the NotoAV campaign, responding to The Scotsman/YouGov poll, said: "Scottish voters should not be fooled, the Alternative Vote is nothing like the system currently in use for the Scottish Parliament.

"It is more expensive, more unfair and not at all proportional. If the aim is to see fairer representation for Scotland, AV would be a massive step backwards."

However, John Butterworth of the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign said the YouGov poll was a "very positive" sign ahead of the referendum on 5 May.

He said: "We're very optimistic, and if we can get people to turn out to vote, the chances of a Yes vote winning the day are much higher."

SNP business convener and candidate for Stirling, Bruce Crawford, appealed to Scots to back AV, but said the change would only be a step towards a fuller form of proportional representation.

Earlier, Lord Ashdown accused the Chancellor of trying to "frighten" voters off changing the voting system, saying Mr Osborne and Tory Cabinet colleagues were resorting to "bizarre" and "tawdry" tactics.

Mr Osborne sparked anger last week when he said it "stinks" that the main backer of the pro-AV camp was the Electoral Reform Society - whose commercial arm ERSL runs election services. He claimed it stood to benefit financially from a switch, something ERSL denied.

Lord Ashdown said: "(The Tories'] strategy is clear: throw as much mud as you can and frighten the public into voting to preserve the power the present system gives them.

"For the Chancellor of the Exchequer to claim there is something 'dodgy' about the Electoral Reform Society donating cash to a campaign in favour of electoral reform is bizarre."

• Leader of the Scottish Greens Patrick Harvey will be taking part in a live webchat on scotsman.com on Monday, April 18 at 12pm.

• All the latest news, comment and analysis

• Visit The Steamie, our Scottish politics blog

• Election update: a daily briefing of the main stories from the campaign trail

• Follow our election coverage on Twitter and Facebook