Clegg stands firm against Lords referendum

In his interview with Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics, Nick Clegg argued against a referendum on Lords reform on the grounds that the three main parties all agree on it and so, in an absurdly patronising phrase, there’s no need ‘to subcontract to the British people’ the decision. He also added that it would cost several hundred million pounds.

Now having been on the wrong side of the AV referendum result, Clegg knows how potent the waste of money charge can be — remember those anti-AV posters. But I suspect that this is going to be a difficult line for him to hold for as supporters of a referendum will simply argue that it should be held simultaneously with the next general election which would cut the costs considerably. Also having backed referendums so strongly in the past, it is quite difficult for Clegg to say that there’s no need for one on what would be an ever bigger constitutional change than altering the voting system.