MERSEYSIDE Labour and Conservative politicians turned out together to campaign against the alternative vote system, ahead of May’s referendum.

Their unlikely coalition was formed in an attempt to thwart plans to reform the voting system so that people rank their preferred choices in order, rather than voting for only one candidate.

George Howarth, MP for Knowsley, joined Conservative activist Paul Athans for a demonstration outside Liverpool’s Liver Building, at the same time as Labour leader Ed Miliband – who was elected as leader under a form of alternative vote (AV) – was campaigning in London alongside former Lib-Dem chief Charles Kennedy in favour of the system.

The Liverpool protesters said they believed it was complicated, confusing and could lead to extremist parties getting a foothold in the Commons.

Mr Howarth said: “It’s a system designed not to give people a choice between the big ideas of the big parties, but to give third and fourth preference candidates a greater status than people’s real choices.”

He added that, while the leader of the Labour party supported the plan, “it is my impression that the overwhelming majority (of MPs) are at worst neutral and at best in favour of a ‘no’ vote.”

Mr Howarth, who has a first-past-the-post majority of 57.52%, added that if the ‘yes’ campaign was successful, it would only be a matter of time before councils were elected in the same way.