Broad support for Labour’s Yes to AV campaign

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

A broad cross section of Labour MPs, members of the Lords and prominent supporters have announced their backing for Labour’s “Yes to AV” campaign – and the Guardian is reporting that Ed Miliband will be giving the campaign his support too.

The campaign appears to unite disparate sections of the party behind the campaign, with both Compass and Progress (as well as Tony Benn and Peter Mandelson) setting aside their differences to campaign for a Yes vote in the referendum.

However as the LabourList survey last month found, the party is divided over AV. Will this high profile campaign change minds?

The official spokesperson for the campaign is Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw, who will be writing for LabourList on AV later today. The full list of supporters (as of December 1st) can be found below.

MPs

Ben Bradshaw
Alan Johnson
Sadiq Khan
Douglas Alexander
John Denham
Peter Hain
Tessa Jowell
Hilary Benn
Liam Byrne
Jack Straw
Tom Watson
Jon Cruddas
Chris Bryant
David Lammy
Liz Kendall
Chuka Umunna
Anas Sarwar
Stephen Timms
Helen Goodman
John McDonnell
Stephen Twigg
Susan Elan Jones
Richard Burden
Frank Field
Hugh Bayley
Ann Coffey
Willie Bain
Paul Blomfield
Joan Ruddock
Heidi Alexander
Stephen Pound
Kevin Brennan
Fiona Mactaggart

Members of the Lords

(Lord) Prof. Raymond Plant
(Lord) Andrew Adonis
(Lord) Roy Hattersley
(Baroness) Oona King
(Lord) Peter Mandelson
(Lord) David Lipsey
(Lord) Jeremy Beecham
(Baroness) Joyce Gould
(Baroness) Joyce Quinn
(Lord) Neil Kinnock
(Baroness) Glenys Kinnock
(Baroness) Ruth Lister

MEPS and London Assembly Members

Richard Howitt MEP
Claude Moraes MEP
Murad Qureshi AM

Notable supporters

Ken Livingstone
Tony Benn
James Purnell
Nick Pearce (Director, ippr – in a personal capacity)
Phil Collins
Gavin Kelly
Luke Akehurst (NEC)
Tony Robinson
Chris Mullin
David Gardner
John Rentoul
Cllr Patrick Diamond
Kevin Maguire (Daily Mirror)
Sam Tarry (Chair, Young Labour)
Christine Quigley (Chair, London Young Labour [personal capacity)
Neal Lawson (Chair, Compass)
Gavin Hayes (Gen Sec, Compass)
Robert Philpot (Director, Progress)
Richard Angell (Deputy Director, Progress)
Sunder Katwala (General Secretary, Fabian Society in a personal capacity)
Will Straw (Editor, Left Foot Forward)
Mary Southcott (Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform)
Sunny Hundal (Liberal Conspiracy)
Cllr Wes Streeting, Former NUS President