Mr James Gray MP (Conservative) (North Wiltshire): Just this morning, the Deputy Prime Minister sent us all a very helpful letter about the forthcoming Bill on the alternative vote system and so on. In it, he wrote:

"The Government also believes it is important to give people a choice over their electoral system."

Given that, why will the forthcoming referendum offer only a choice between first past the post and AV, which he himself described as a pathetic excuse for a voting system? Why will it not also offer the single transferable vote?

The Deputy Prime Minister: Let me remind my hon. Friend that, during the general election, there was a party-the Labour party-that wanted to press ahead with the alternative vote and another party-the Liberal Democrats-that believed in a more proportional voting system.

As is the nature of a coalition agreement, we reached a compromise- [Interruption.] Opposition Members talk about pluralism and choice in politics, but only if it is on the basis of things that they want, not what anybody else wants.

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