AV referendum to go ahead on May 5, after Lords challenge fails – Daily Telegraph

“A referendum on changing the voting system will definitely take place on May 5 after the Government last night saw off an 11th-hour challenge to the plans in the House of Lords.”

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Daily Telegraph, 17th February 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Government electoral reform dealt Lords blow – The Guardian

“The government suffered a narrow defeat in the House of Lords on Monday night when rebel Tories joined forces with Labour peers to make the planned referendum on electoral reform non-binding if turnout falls below 40%.”

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The Guardian, 7th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Peers bed down for marathon session to pass reform bill – The Guardian

“Lords debate reduction in the number of MPs in parliament.”

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The Guardian, 17th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lords ruling paves way for separate AV referendum and election dates – The Guardian

“Alternative voting referendum could be on a different day from 5 May elections according to a House of Lords amendment.”

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The Guardian, 6th December 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Voting reform referendum will go ahead in May 2011 – The Independent

“A referendum on whether to ditch the first-past-the-post voting system will go ahead next May after Labour peers failed narrowly in an attempt to derail the Government’s timetable.”

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The Independent, 16th November 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Peers threaten voting reform bill – BBC News

“Government plans for a referendum in May on changing the voting system could be at risk if peers vote later to refer them to a Lords committee.”

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BBC News, 15th November 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Nick Clegg rejects call for law change after ‘hundreds denied vote’ – The Guardian

“The Electoral Commission is set on a collision course with the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, after he dismissed calls for a law change to ensure last-minute voters are not turned away at the polls.”

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The Guardian, 11th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Voting reform ballot planned for May – The Guardian

“The coalition government is to test its unity by announcing that it plans to stage a referendum on voting reform next May, amid signs that Labour enthusiasm for the reform is wavering owing to the party’s growing hostility to the Liberal Democrats.”

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The Guardian, 1st July 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Brown wins big Commons victory for vote reform – The Independent

“Gordon Brown’s plan to hold a referendum next year on scrapping the first-past-the-post system for elections for Westminster won a convincing majority last night in the Commons.”

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The Independent, 10th February 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

No electoral reform bill in Queen’s speech, says Downing Street – The Guardian

“This month’s Queen’s speech will not contain a bill to introduce reform of the voting system, Downing Street sources confirmed today.”

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The Guardian, 10th November 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cabinet split over election-day referendum on voting reform – The Guardian

“Senior cabinet ministers will step up the pressure on the prime minister this week to rule out holding a referendum on electoral reform on the same day as the general election, because they believe it would set back the case for reform for a generation.”

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The Guardian, 20th September 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Legal bid to force EU referendum fails – The Guardian

“The Conservative Eurosceptic millionaire Stuart Wheeler today lost his high court bid to force the government to hold a referendum on the EU’s Lisbon treaty.”

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The Guardian, 25th June 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Treaty on hold until court rules – BBC News

“Gordon Brown has said Britain will not ratify the EU Treaty until the High Court has ruled on a separate bid to force a British referendum.”

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BBC News, 20th June 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lords reject EU referendum call – BBC News

“The House of Lords has voted against holding a referendum on the EU Treaty – a day before the Irish Republic’s national ballot on the agreement.”

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BBC News, 11th June 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High court to consider referendum on EU treaty – The Guardian

“A millionaire businessman today won permission for a high court challenge over the government’s refusal to hold a referendum on the EU reform treaty.”

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The Guardian, 2nd May 2008

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cherie Blair’s firm hired to stop EU treaty – Daily Telegraph

“One of Britain’s richest men has hired Cherie Blair’s law firm to advise him on a £750,000 High Court battle that could force Gordon Brown to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.”

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Daily Telegraph, 21st April 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ballots add to pressure for treaty referendum – The Times

“Pressure for a national referendum on the Lisbon treaty intensified yesterday when a pressure group announced that more than 150,000 people took part in local ballots on the issue.”

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The Times, 3rd March 2008

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Paul Lasok: EU referendum would clear air – Legal Week

“In the UK, treaty-making is a matter for the Crown acting in conjunction with Parliament. The few instances of referendums and the like are insufficient to give rise to a constitutional convention saying that a referendum must be held if a treaty such as the European Union (EU) Reform Treaty is to be ratified. Whether or not there should be a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty is therefore a political rather than a legal question. This is except for the idea once floated by the Conservative Party of holding a referendum after ratification with a view to backing out of the Reform Treaty if it found against it, which does have legal implications. The professed purpose of such a post-ratification referendum is to engineer a breach by the UK of a legally binding promise that it had entered into freely and in accordance with domestic procedures and processes.”

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Legal Week, 15th November 2007

Source: www.legalweek.com