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Labour leader pushes for electoral reform before AV referendum rally as shadow health secretary John Healey joins No vote Ed Miliband is pitted against a large number of his own MPs over a switch in the voting system as more than 150 Labour MPs and peers put their weight behind the “Labour No to AV” campaign in Westminster. A full page advert on the back page of the Guardian listing more than 100 Labour MPs and more than 50 peers in favour of retaining the first-past-the-post system was published on the same day the Labour leader prepares to make his strongest intervention yet in the referendum on the alternative vote when he addresses a Labour Yes rally. Miliband, will claim that AV “will restore the balance of power in favour of voters”. Labour had committed itself to a referendum on AV in its manifesto at the last election, though many were reluctant to support it. Labour MPs cheerleading the case for the existing system includes John Healey, the most senior shadow cabinet member against electoral reform. Writing in the Independent, Healey branded the alternative vote is “perverse”. Claiming that the momentum for a “No” vote is gathering pace ahead of the referendum on 5 May, Healey wrote that the referendum should be “a long way” down Labour’s political priorities. “The reason the number of Labour MPs in favour of a No vote runs into three figures is because we haven’t been persuaded that AV is an upgrade to the voting system. The arguments just don’t stack up.” He said AV could produce results “less fair and proportional than the one we have now” and would make Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader and deputy prime minister, the “kingmaker” in any hung parliament. “Immediately after an election the parties would be scrambling to do coalition deals. They would feel free to jettison policies that had been firm pledges only a week earlier. This isn’t the new type of politics people have been calling for. They want politics that treats them with respect, not as fools.” He added: ” The last thing we should do is throw away what works in favour of an unfair, perverse electoral system. Politicians should be seeking the trust of voters, not encouraging them to move the goalposts.” Miliband will take the opposite stance at this evening’s rally when he will call on Labour supporters to look beyond Clegg’s performance in government and focus on the substantive issue of voting reform. Miliband’s speech comes as 17 former senior ambassadors write to the Guardian expressing support for AV, rejecting the argument that first past the post produces strong government. Labour figures addressing the rally in London include Neil Kinnock, Oona King and Ken Livingstone. In a sign of the high stakes involved, David Cameron reassured 60 Tory MPs that he is dedicating the resources necessary to ensure victory for the No campaign. Many MPs still say the outcome is too close to cool and that much will depend on whether voters make their decision on the basis of the substantive question or on Clegg’s popularity. Following a dispute this week with Clegg over sharing a joint platform, Miliband will say: “The arguments in this referendum have been framed around whether a Yes vote damages David Cameron or a No vote damages Nick Clegg. It is about something more. I want to take head-on the fear designed to appeal to Labour supporters: that a Yes vote in this referendum will be seen as a vindication of Nick Clegg. “I know this referendum is far harder to win because of Nick Clegg’s broken promises. But we can’t reduce the second referendum in British political history to a verdict on one man. The change to the alternative vote deserves our support because it is fairer and because it encourages a better politics. The British people know that the state of our politics is badly broken. Many see Westminster as remote and out of touch. Politicians should never feel safe or insulated from those they represent. That’s what I want to change.” However, Miliband will admit: “Let’s be honest: AV is no panacea. It isn’t perfect, but it would help to restore the balance of power in favour of voters. “So on May 5th, ask yourselves one simple question: are you happy with the state of British politics? If the answer is no, then seize this opportunity for change.” He will also attack Clegg by saying both Labour and the Liberal Democrats had campaigned for a fully elected second chamber, adding: “I will keep that promise.” Miliband will make those remarks in the knowledge that Clegg now favours an 80% elected Lords that keeps a small appointed element. Clegg says that the change is the only way to get the reform through parliament, seen as a way to keep the expertise that many see as the great virtue of the Lords. The ambassadors’ letter, also signed by Sir Stephen Wall, a former British ambassador to the EU, says: “First past the post is said to deliver strong government. Having worked for governments of every political colour, we are convinced that this strength is often illusory. Genuinely strong government needs a strong parliament and a flourishing democracy. Neither is helped by a voting system that is unfair and out of date.” AV Ed Miliband Electoral reform Labour Nick Clegg Liberal Democrats David Cameron Conservatives Hélène Mulholland Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk