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General Election 2015: Latest Ukip policy could have us voting on Jeremy Clarkson's future in a national referendum

Ukip's constitutional reform proposals include a move to hold a referendum on the most popular petitions

Matt Dathan
Monday 13 April 2015 21:23 BST
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Nigel
Nigel

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If Nigel Farage gets his way, the British public could be voting on hot topics such as the future of Jeremy Clarkson in a national referendum.

That’s because his party wants to hold a national vote to determine the most popular petition that attracts more than two million signatures.

Nigel Farage and Douglas Carswell announced Ukip's constitutional reform policies together in Clacton today (PA)
Nigel Farage and Douglas Carswell announced Ukip's constitutional reform policies together in Clacton today (PA)

The winning petition would then be included in the Queen’s Speech – the government’s legislative agenda.

The move – part of Ukip’s proposals for constitutional reform – will be held every two years, but the policy drew ridicule after suggestions it could apply to petitions such as the recent campaign to reinstate Mr Clarkson as Top Gear presenter, which attracted more than a million signatures.

Ukip's policy could lead to petitions such as the campaign to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson as Top Gear presenter to be put to a national vote
Ukip's policy could lead to petitions such as the campaign to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson as Top Gear presenter to be put to a national vote (Getty Images)

The “citizen’s initative” is among a series of proposed constitutional reforms set out by Mr Farage and Ukip MP Douglas Carswell in the latter’s constituency today.

They include scrapping the first-past-the-post voting system and replacing it with a new electoral system "in which every vote counts".

There would also be new curbs on postal voting in order to prevent fraud and a power of recall enabling constituents to sack their local MP or councillor.

The Independent has got together with May2015.com to produce a poll of polls that produces the most up-to-date data in as close to real time as possible.

Click the buttons below to explore how the main parties' fortunes have changed:

All data, polls and graphics are courtesy of May2015.com. Click through for daily analysis, in-depth features and all the data you need. (All historical data used is provided by UK Polling Report)

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