Campaigners for voting system reform say the electorate is keen to see a wider spread of parties at Westminster. Photograph: Matthew Fearn
Gordon Brown is fending off a cabinet-level revolt over his plans to reduce the power of the executive in parliament and to introduce laws entrenching a referendum on voting reform.
The government whips' office is trying to block reforms that would see it lose its domination of parliament's agenda. The Vote for a Change pressure group is also accusing Ed Balls, the schools secretary, of being behind moves to block a clause in the constitutional reform bill that would commit the government to a referendum on electoral reform after the election.
Both reforms to the voting system and parliament have been stalled for weeks. Brown promised a radical manifesto, including constitutional reform, this week. Labour MPs may discuss the issue of a referendum on voting systems on Monday at their weekly private meeting, with some MPs determined to block the move.
Vote for a Change is planning to put up a billboard in Balls's Normanton constituency accusing him of opposing political renewal. It says he is trying to garner votes among northern MPs in safe seats to improve his post-election leadership ambitions. In an email to its 40,000 members, the group accuses Balls of hypocrisy.
Click on link to read Patrick Wintour's article in the Guardian
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