Assembly members call for urgent change in voting system

The British Government was expected today to face calls to urgently change the Northern Ireland Assembly’s voting system in a bid to avert a crisis in the peace process in 15 months’ time.

Members of the cross-community Alliance Party were expected to hear a call from leader David Ford at their annual conference in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim for a change in the assembly voting rules which make their five MLAs’ votes worthless.