Tory rebels and Labour in talks to halt vote reforms

TORY rebels are set to hold talks with Labour on Monday to thrash out a deal to overturn Nick Clegg's plans to hold a referendum on changing the voting system on the same day as the Holyrood election.

Mr Clegg wants to hold the referendum introducing the alternative vote system (AV) on 5 May next year.

Opponents of the plan point out that it could distort the result of the referendum, because elections are not taking place across the UK. It also goes against recommendation about holding different votes on the same day, following the 2007 fiasco in Scotland, when 147,000 ballot papers were spoiled because of confusion between the Holyrood and council elections.

An amendment seeking a change of date by Dunfermline and West Fife MP Thomas Docherty will be laid down on Monday, as the government tries to push through the second stage of its constitutional reform bill.

While the amendment is unlikely to succeed next week, with Tory rebels abstaining, it is understood that they are planning to use it to force Lib Dem Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg into a humiliating climbdown.

One discontented Tory of up to 70 back-bench rebels said: "We have decided that the committee stage and third reading are the points to force to changes. We want to approach this constructively."

Mr Docherty, who has the backing of his party's leadership, who are putting a three-line whip on the votes, will hold talks on Monday with the SNP, as well as Tory rebels, to agree an alternative date.

He told The Scotsman: "The respect agenda is not just about knowing the name of the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - it also means knowing what their phone numbers are and being prepared to speak to them before taking steps that will directly impact on these elections."