The House of Lords amendment requiring that 40 per cent of people take part in the AV referendum is just the latest blow to the government's strategy of enacting constitutional change with no consensus and no evidence-base

The latest fruit of the stiff resistance to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill by Labour Peers, is a successful amendment that makes the introduction of the Alternative Vote non-binding if fewer than two fifths of UK voters take part in the referendum. Dale Campbell-Savours explains why government intransigence has brought about a real prospect of wrecking the hopes for even the smallest voting system change.