IWR in the news

21/02/08

Row over 'poll' on EU referendum

BBC News

A row has broken out over a private poll to find out whether there is demand for a national referendum on the European Union reform treaty.

The poll is being carried out in 10 Labour and Lib Dem constituencies, including the East Renfrewshire seat of Europe Minister Jim Murphy.

Labour has alleged the organisation holding the ballot is a front for the Conservative Party.

The Conservatives said the ballot was independent and not a Tory initiative.

The company conducting the poll, Electoral Reform Services, also denied it would release individual details so that parties would know which way people had voted.

The row comes after Labour said its promise at the last general election for a referendum on the EU constitution did not apply.

It said the Lisbon Treaty to reform the European Union was different from the rejected EU Constitution.

The "I want a referendum" campaign has now organised a ballot of 10 key constituencies to see if there is demand for a referendum.

The postal ballot in East Renfrewshire closes on 25 February.

The local Labour Party in the constituency has circulated a leaflet claiming the Conservatives will be able to tell how people have voted, and trying to persuade them not to take part.

Richard Cook, from the group East Renfrewshire EU Choice which commissioned the poll, said: "The lies that are being told by Labour locally that voting intentions will be given to the Conservative party are just that - complete lies.

"The Electoral Reform Services do not give out any of this information, and to suggest otherwise is really a discredit to what is an internationally renowned British organisation on polling, that even the Labour party uses."

Simon Hearn, the director of the client advisory department at Electoral Reform Services, said it would not be providing any information on individual voters to any organisation.

"We will simply be providing the cumulative voting figures," he said.

David Mundell MP, interim chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, said the ballot was not a Tory initiative.

"The ballot is entirely in accordance with established rules and has widespread support across the political spectrum," he said.

The East Renfrewshire Constituency Labour party was unavailable to comment.

But Mr Murphy, Labour MP for East Renfrewshire and Europe Minister, distanced himself from the leaflet.

"You'd have to ask the Labour party about that of course," he said.

"But the fact is that on the opposite side of this argument you've had a cocktail of all the old traditional scare stories about Europe.

"A referendum would cost £110m, and I can think of very many better things to spend a £110m on."