Archive for Election law
Another election candidate faces court over alleged false statements
A defeated candidate from the May 2010 general election is facing court action following claims he made false statements during the election.
Michael Meacher faces legal action for repeating Phil Woolas’s claims
Labour MP Michael Meacher is facing the threat of legal action after he took to his blog at the weekend to repeat some of the allegations made by now disgraced Labour MP Phil Woolas despite the court ruling that they were false.
Judicial review application from Phil Woolas rejected by court
The courts have comprehensively rejected an attempt by Labour MP Phil Woolas to get a judicial review over the ruling that he broke the law in the May 2010 general election and is therefore barred from holding office: Phil Woolas loses request for judicial review over Oldham election case
Legal firm runs into trouble over its election rules
Legal firm Clifford Chance has run into problems after a flaw in the rules for electing its senior partners came to light in the latest contest.
Prisoners were able to vote in the UK in the late 1960s
The question of prisoners gaining the right to vote has been in the news today following the government’s announcement that it is going to abolish the blanket ban on prisoners voting in general elections. However, although in today’s media coverage the ban is widely dated to the 1870 Forfeiture Act, it is has been overlooked that [...]
My electoral discovery of the day
The government grants to local authorities to help cover the costs of running elections explicitly do not cover the costs of “Floral / shrub or other decoration at count centres or for any stage of the polling process.” Makes you wonder what past claim or attempted claim under these grants led to that being included…
Changes coming to Scottish Parliament election rules
The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2010 has been tabled in Parliament this week bringing about changes in the law for the Scottish Parliament election
West Midlands to get an extra MEP
Back in July we reported how Britain was set to gain an extra Member of the European Parliament following the Lisbon Treaty. The Electoral Commission has now crunched the numbers using the same rules as previously to allocate MEPs to the different Euro-constituencies and it is West Midlands which comes out with an extra MEP.
Elections staff set to miss out on pay if they do a bad job
Amendments 265 and 266 to the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill may not have grabbed any headlines but they mark a very welcome change in policy - for under them the fees paid to referendum counting officers will only be paid in full if they meet an adequate standard of performance.
Prosecutors set to decide on whether David Mundell should face election expense charges
News in this week on the case of Conservative MP David Mundell and his mistaken election expense return: following their questioning of him, the police have now sent a file to the Procurator Fiscal, who will now decide whether or not to prosecute.
