Cameron attacks Brown's plans for electoral reform

David Cameron has attacked Gordon Brown’s proposals for electoral reform and stressed that the answer to “discredited politics” is not proportional representation but an immediate General Election.

David warned that proportional representation is “a recipe for weak, coalition governments” and accused Gordon Brown of discussing it only because “he’s worried about losing under the existing rules”.

David stressed "we should not take away from the British people the right to get rid weak, tired and discredited Governments" – and said the reforms proposed by Gordon Brown did not tackle the problem of people feeling excluded from decision-making:

"What these proposals fail to address is the central question that we believe should lie behind any program for constitutional reform: how do we take power away from the political elite and give it to the man and woman in the street?"

David questioned the timing of Gordon Brown’s sudden interest in electoral reform, and said that Labour’s failure in last week’s local and European elections lay behind the new initiative:

“These proposals (are) a pretty sorry attempt to distract attention away from a Prime Minister who has lost his authority, a Cabinet full of second preferences, and a Labour Government that has led this country to the brink of bankruptcy.”