Commons: Region's Tory MPs to revolt over votes for prisoners

Labour's former Justice Secretary Jack Straw joined forces with senior Tory David Davis yesterday to secure a Commons vote on the highly-controversial issue amid fury that thousands of inmates could be given voting rights.

Ministers claim they will face compensation claims worth tens of millions of pounds if they do not change the law following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and have drawn up plans for prisoners serving less than four years to be able to vote in Westminster and European elections.

But Mr Straw and Mr Davis, MP for Haltemprice and Howden, see the issue as a test of authority between Parliament and the ECHR and hope the debate they have secured will embolden the Government to defy the court.

Although Downing Street said it welcomed a debate on the issue, the move is a further headache for the Prime Minister who has said he feels sick at the prospect of having to allow prisoners to vote.

Several other Tory MPs from Yorkshire have vowed to block any voting rights. Shipley's Philip Davies is vehemently opposed, while Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy said "hell will freeze over" before he votes in favour.

Selby MP Nigel Adams said his instinct was to be "very uncomfortable" with any such move, and Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney said he would find it "incredibly difficult" to support any voting right.

Mr Straw, who delayed responding to the ECHR ruling when he was the responsible Minister under Gordon Brown, denied that he was trying to cause trouble for the Government.

"If I was Secretary of State Ken Clarke I would actually welcome this debate because it would strengthen my hand for dealing with Strasbourg," he said.

Mr Davis, the former shadow Home Secretary, described the ECHR's attempt to dictate to the British Parliament as a "crisis".

"We've got a crisis here which has been brought about by the court extending its own power, trying to overrule, in effect, a parliament," he said.

"It's for Parliament to stand up and say 'no, this is our decision, not yours' and then for the Government to go back and seek a solution."

He added: "I yield to no-one in my defence of human rights, but giving rapists the vote is not human rights."

Mr Straw and Mr Davis secured the debate after making a pitch yesterday afternoon to the new backbench business committee, which has set allocations of time for non-governmental debates.

A date has not yet been set but it will not be before early February. MPs will debate a motion which says the issue should be decided by democratically elected lawmakers and that the current policy – of barring prisoners from voting – should be confirmed.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister welcomed the debate but stressed there were around 2,500 legal cases involving prisoners outstanding, and the Government risked paying out tens of millions of pounds in compensation.

Rulings by the courts meant the Government did not have a "completely free choice" in the matter, and the spokesman said it aimed to keep the number of prisoners who can vote to an "absolute minimum."

But reform campaigners were critical. Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "It is almost impossible to understand why two senior politicians from different sides should form an unholy alliance to block people in prison from behaving responsibly."

Long drawn out legal problem

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2005 that the UK's present ban on voting for prisoners was unlawful but only now has the Government come up with proposals to respond to it.

Labour put off the issue and despite holding consultations never came up with a solution. Now the Government has proposed allowing those serving less than four years to vote.

Official figures have revealed that 28,770 offenders in England and Wales fall into that category, including 5,991 jailed for violent crime, 1,753 sex offenders and 4,188 burglars.

The Government says it will face paying tens of millions of pounds in compensation if it does not act.