- guardian.co.uk, Friday November 5 2004 12.39 GMT
The government's "half-baked" plans for devolution were today blamed for the resounding rejection of a regional assembly in the north-east.
The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, was also warned his proposals for referendums in two other areas of the north were now in serious doubt.
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat regional spokesman, said: "Labour's half-baked ideas on devolution prompted this 'no' vote. With so few powers promised, this was not a true test of the region's desire to take power from London."
The Liberal Democrats had campaigned with Labour in favour of a regional assembly. Mr Davey called for a northern convention to be set up to reinvigorate the case for regional democracy in light of last night's "disappointing" result. The first English region to hold a referendum on establishing an assembly voted overwhelmingly by 696,519 to 197,310 (more than three to one) against on a turnout of 48%.
"People who have an interest in regional democracy from the three regions need to reflect on what people have said, before we consider the future for regional democracy. This is a hugely disappointing result and we must try and learn the lessons from that," Mr Davey said.
The Conservative spokesman for the regions, Bernard Jenkin, said the vote should now sound the death knell for regional assemblies. "I think the whole idea of regional government has been blown out of the water by this vote," he said.
"This is a decisive vote against regional government, against more politicians and more talk. The fake devolution which Mr Prescott proposed has been rejected, and the regional agenda is now dead."
Mr Prescott, conceded in the early hours of this morning that his plans for regional devolution in England had suffered an "emphatic" defeat. The result was seen as a personal humiliation for him as he championed the cause of regional government.
All 23 council areas in the region - including Sedgefield which covers Tony Blair's constituency - returned a 'no' vote in the all-postal ballot.
The north-east had been handpicked as the area where support for regional government was regarded to be at its strongest. The result is expected to scupper the chances of referendums taking place in the north-west and Yorkshire and the Humber, though the local government minister, Nick Raynsford, had previously said that these would go ahead, regardless of last night's result. Under referendum laws, the issue cannot now be put to the north east region's voters again for another seven years.
Mr Prescott kept away from Sunderland's Crowtree leisure centre where the count was announced at just after 1am this morning, in anticipation of defeat. At a 2am press conference in the nearby university library, he expressed disappointment at the scale of the 'no' campaign's victory.
"It is an emphatic defeat for the possibility of an elected regional assembly," he said. "The north-east public have answered in an emphatic way. I am a democrat and I accept that."
