A Kingston woman is one of the leading opponents to plans to change the voting system.

Charlotte Vere, 41, who was unsuccessful in her bid to become a Conservative MP in Brighton at the General Election, is the national organiser of No2AV, a cross-party group.

Forcing a referendum on voting change was a key demand for the Liberal Democrat party to join a coalition government.

Adherents arguing the alternative vote system, where voters rank MP candidates in order of preference, would be fairer.

But Mrs Vere said: "AV is a poor system, unfair, rarely used and costly. It is not the reform we need and could mean long-term damage to our democracy."

No2AV will seek to persuade voters to reject the prospect of an alternative voting system in May’s referendum.