Prisoners win landmark human rights vote ruling

THE Government have lost their final appeal against a human rights ruling requiring Britain to give prisoners the vote. PM David Cameron now has six months to end the ban on inmates voting in national and European elections.

The ultimatum was delivered by a f ive-judge panel of the European Court of Human Rights.

Last November, they awarded two UK prisoners £4350 in costs and expenses for their loss of voting rights, which was ruled a breach of their human rights.

Yesterday, the court dismissed a request for an appeal hearing and decreed the original verdict final.

More than five years ago, the same court delivered a similar verdict in a separate case but the then Labour government left the blanket ban in place.

Last year, Cameron told MPs: "It makes me physically ill to contemplate giving the vote to prisoners."

But he said the Government had to comply - or face possible compensation claims running into millions in a flood of new human rights claims by cons.


(2011-4-13/DailyRecord)