One of the big political events of 2011 will be May’s referendum on whether Westminster should adopt the alternative vote (AV) system. Already, the issue appears to have divided the Labour party, as late last month the cross-party “No to AV” group claimed the support of 114 Labour MPs, including five members of the shadow cabinet and several senior party figures.

Whilst Labour leader Ed Milliband backs the change to AV — a Labour manifesto promise — he faces opposition from almost half of his 253-strong Commons contingent, who will campaign alongside senior Tory figures such as foreign secretary, William Hague, and justice secretary, Ken Clarke. So far, a total of 59 Labour MPs have come out in support of the proposed change.

Below is a list of Labour MPs who have pledged support for and against AV which will serve as a useful reference point for our future coverage in the build-up to the May 5 referendum. Additionally, look out for Alan Renwick’s article on the myths surrounding AV in the February issue of Total Politics.

For:

Douglas Alexander, Paisley and Renfrewshire South

Heidi Alexander, Lewisham East

Graham Allen, Nottingham North

William Bain, Glasgow North East

Hugh Bayley, York Central

Anne Begg, Aberdeen South

Hilary Benn, Leeds Central

Paul Blomfield, Sheffield Central

Benjamin Bradshaw, Exeter

Kevin Brennan, Cardiff West

Chris Bryant, Rhonnda

Karen Buck, Westminster North

Richard Burden, Birmingham Northfield

Liam Byrne, Birmingham Hodge Hill

Ann Coffey, Cynon Valley

Jon Cruddas, Dagenham and Rainham

Alex Cunningham, Stockton North

Gloria de Piero, Ashfield

John Denham, Southampton Itchen

Jim Dowd, Lewisham West and Penge

Frank Field, Birkenhead

Paul Flynn, Newport West

Mike Gapes, Ilford South

Roger Godsiff, Birmingham Hall Green

Helen Goodman, Bishop Auckland

Peter Hain, Neath

Fabian Hamilton, Leeds North East

David Hanson, Delyn

Alan Johnson, Kingston Upon Hull West and Hessle

Susan Elan Jones, Clwyd South

Tessa Jowell, Dulwich and West Northwood

Liz Kendall, Leicester West

Sadiq Khan, Tooting

David Lammy, Tottenham

Mark Lazarowicz, Edinburgh North and Leith

Andrew Love, Edmonton

Fiona Mactaggart, Slough

John McDonnell, Hayes and Harlington

Alison McGovern, Wirral South

Michael Meacher, Oldham West and Royton

Alun Michael, Cardiff South and Penarth

Ed Miliband, Doncaster North

Teresa Pearce, Erith and Thamesmead

Stephen Pound, Ealing North

Nick Raynsford, Greenwich and Woolwich

Jonathan Reynolds, Stalybridge and Hyde

Joan Ruddock, Lewisham Deptford

Anas Sarwar, Glasgow Central

Virendra Sharma, Ealing Southall

Andrew Slaughter, Hammersmith

Peter Soulsby, Leicester South

Jack Straw, Blackburn

Gareth Thomas, Harrow West

Stephen Timms, East Ham

Stephen Twigg, Liverpool West Derby

Chuka Umunna, Streatham

Tom Watson, West Bromwich East

Alan Whitehead, Southampton Test

Malcolm Wicks, Croydon North

Against:

David Anderson, Blaydon

Ian Austin, Dudley North

Adrian Bailey, West Bromwich West

Gordon Banks, Ochil and South Perthshire

Margaret Beckett, Derby South

Stuart Bell, Middlesbrough

Joe Benton, Bootle

Clive Betts, Sheffield South East

Hazel Blears, Salford and Eccles

David Blunkett, Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough

Russell Brown, Dumfries and Galloway

David Cairns, Inverclyde

Ronnie Campbell, Blyth Valley

Jenny Chapman, Darlington

Katy Clark, North Ayrshire and Arran

Tom Clarke, Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill

Ann Clwyd, Cynon Valley

Vernon Coaker, Gedling

David Crausby, Bolton North East

Mary Creagh, Wakefield

John Cryer, Leyton and Wanstead

Jim Cunningham, Coventry South

Margaret Curran, Glasgow East

Simon Danczuk, Rochdale

Ian Davidson, Glasgow South West

Geraint Davies, Swansea West

Jim Dobbin, Heywood and Middleton

Thomas Docherty, Dunfermline and West Fife

Brian H. Donohoe, Central Ayrshire

Julie Elliott, Sunderland Central

Louise Ellman, Liverpool, Riverside

Natascha Engel, North East Derbyshire

Chris Evans, Islwyn

Jim Fitzpatrick, Poplar and Limehouse

Robert Flello, Stoke-on-Trent South

Caroline Flint, Don Valley

Yvonne Fovargue, Makerfield

Sheila Gilmore, Edinburgh East

Pat Glass, North West Durham

Mary Glindon, North Tyneside

Paul Goggins, Wythenshawe and Sale East

Tom Greatrex, Rutherglen and Hamilton West

Kate Green, Stretford and Urmston

Andrew Gwynne, Denton and Reddish

David Hamilton, Midlothian

Tom Harris, Glasgow South

John Healey, Wentworth and Dearne

Mark Hendrick, Preston

Stephen Hepburn, Jarrow

David Heyes, Ashton-under-Lyne

Julie Hilling, Bolton West

Margaret Hodge, Barking

Sharon Hodgson, Washington and Sunderland West

Jim Hood, Lanark and Hamilton East

Kelvin Hopkins, Luton North

George Howarth, Knowsley

Lindsay Hoyle, Chorley

Tristram Hunt, Stoke-on-Trent Central

Cathy Jamieson, Kilmarnock and Loudoun

Diana Johnson, Kingston upon Hull North

Helen Jones, Warrington North

Kevan Jones, North Durham

Eric Joyce, Falkirk

Gerald Kaufman, Manchester, Gorton

Alan Keen, Feltham and Heston

Ian Lavery, Wansbeck

Ian Lucas, Wrexham

Denis MacShane, Rotherham

Steve McCabe, Birmingham, Selly Oak

Michael McCann, East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow

Siobhain McDonagh, Mitcham and Morden

Jim McGovern, Dundee West

Alan Meale, Mansfield

Ian Mearns, Gateshead

Andrew Miller, Ellesmere Port and Neston

Austin Mitchell, Great Grimsby

Graeme Morrice, Livingston

Grahame Morris, Easington

George Mudie, Leeds East

Meg Munn, Sheffield, Heeley

Paul Murphy, Torfaen

Ian Murray, Edinburgh South

Fiona O’Donnell, East Lothian

Toby Perkins, Chesterfield

Yasmin Qureshi, Bolton South East

Rachel Reeves, Leeds West

Linda Riordan, Halifax

John Robertson, Glasgow North West

Frank Roy, Motherwell and Wishaw

Jim Sheridan, Paisley and Renfrewshire North

Gavin Shuker, Luton South

Dennis Skinner, Bolsover

Angela Smith, Penistone and Stocksbridge

Nick Smith, Blaenau Gwent

John Spellar, Warley

Graham Stringer, Blackley and Broughton

Gisela Stuart, Birmingham, Edgbaston

Gerry Sutcliffe, Bradford South

Mark Tami, Alyn and Deeside

Emily Thornberry, Islington South and Finsbury

Karl Turner, Kingston upon Hull East

Derek Twigg, Halton

Keith Vaz, Leicester East

Joan Walley, Stoke-on-Trent North

Dave Watts, St Helens North

Chris Williamson, Derby North

Phil Wilson, Sedgefield

David Winnick, Walsall North

David Wright, Telford

Image credit: Getty

Update 5/01/11 - as reported by Left Foot Forward it would appear that the No2AV campaign has made a few mistakes regarding its supports. Firstly, Alun Michael, Labour MP for Cardiff South and Penarth and former First Secretary of Wales, has been confirmed as a "true believer in AV" by his daughter-in-law over Twitter. Similarly, the Financial Times have reported that Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman does not, contrary to the list released by No2AV, support the status quo and told his local paper that he had "never even spoken" to the 'no' campaign. Also off the list are Ivan Lewis and Albert Owen, reducing the current number to 110. As such, the above list has been corrected with these changes in mind.

Update 6/01/11 - Left Foot Forward are reporting that Meg Hillier is now also off the list.