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Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill

I am grateful for my hon. Friend's support. I am sure that her clarion call will be heard at the other end of the building. This morning Lord Wallace made the important point that when a referendum poses a yes/no question, a turnout threshold effectively makes every abstention a no vote. A number of noble Lords supporting Lord Rooker's amendment suggested that that would not be the case with the kind of threshold that he had proposed. Let me make clear that it would. Under his amendment, abstentions would still mean that a yes vote might not be upheld. The amendment would still create an incentive for those who favour a no vote to stay at home. Those who favour a no vote might well think that abstaining could create a low enough turnout to see off a yes vote.