Vince Cable risks new storm by sharing platform with Labour leader to push for move to AV

Vince Cable will share a platform with Labour leader Ed Miliband tomorrow - setting up another clash with Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Liberal Democrat Cabinet Minister is joining forces with Mr Miliband in a bid to win the May 5 referendum on changing Britain’s voting system.

They will line up together at a Press conference in London, where they will issue a joint plea to scrap the first-past-the-post voting system to ‘make politics fairer’.

The double act comes days after Business Secretary Mr Cable accused Mr Cameron of ‘inflammatory’ remarks over immigration, prompting calls for disciplinary action by some Tory MPs.

And it is bound to lead to further claims that Mr Cable, who once worked for former Labour leader John Smith, has more in common with Labour than his Conservative colleagues in the Coalition.

The joint-appearance emerged as Mr Cameron insisted the referendum would not end the coalition.

He said the losing side would just have to pick themselves up and 'get on with the things that really matter'.

The Prime Minister called for a 'reasonable argument on both sides' and expressed hope it would help 'fire up' the public.

He said: 'Whatever the result on May 5, this is a five-year Government, Nick and I are absolutely committed to taking the Government and its programme forward.

'Whoever is on the losing side as it were will just have to pick themselves up and say: well, it was a fair argument, a fair fight, a fair referendum, the country has decided and now we have got to get on with all the things that really matter so much.'

Mr Cable and Mr Miliband will appear with Labour-supporting comedian Eddie Izzard, a cheerleader for the campaign to switch to an Alternative Vote (AV) system for elections.

The joint appearance at Broadway House in Westminster is all the more embarrassing as Mr Miliband has refused to share a platform with Mr Cable’s party leader, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, on the grounds that he is so unpopular he will turn people away from the ‘Yes to AV’ campaign.

By contrast, genial Mr Cable, who has appeared on Strictly Come Dancing, has enjoyed better ratings.

Labour MPs hope the event will add to the growing tensions between the Coalition’s Tory and Lib Dem allies. Mr Miliband and Mr Cable will denounce the Tories for trying to keep the first-past-the-post system.

Mr Cameron, who is backing the ‘No’ campaign, will hit back by launching a new attack on the Lib Dems over the referendum, claiming a Yes to AV vote will undermine democracy.