Scottish Government still against prisoners voting

UK Political Correspondent

Thursday 25 October 2012

The Scottish Government has reiterated its opposition to giving prisoners the vote, including in the 2014 independence referendum.

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KATE DEVLIN UK POLITICAL Correspondent

It comes as the UK faces a deadline later this month to tell the European Court of Human Rights how it will respond to its ruling a blanket ban is incompatible with European law.

Yesterday David Cameron insisted he would not allow prisoners to vote.

But his comments appeared to put him on a collision course with his top law officer.The Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, said the UK had an "international legal obligation" to comply with the ruling. The Prime Minister told MPs: "No-one should be in any doubt. Prisoners are not getting the vote under this Government."A Scottish Government spokesman also reiterated its opposition, saying ministers did "not agree that convicted prisoners should be able to vote while they are in prison". Holyrood will set the franchise for the referendum following the historic agreement with the UK Government last week. Advocates of the ban argue prisoners forgo certain rights, including the ability to vote. But critics say that even those in prison should be allowed to participate in democracy. The judgment found against the current system because it affects all prisoners, no matter what their crime or their length of sentence. Following the ruling, MPs voted overwhelmingly to uphold the blanket ban. Earlier, however, giving evidence to the Commons Justice Select Committee, Mr Grieve warned that Britain was obliged to obey the judgment and could face huge damages claims from prisoners."The issue, it seems to me, is whether the United Kingdom wishes to be in breach of its international obligations and what that does reputationally for the United Kingdom," he said."Governments can leave the Council of Europe if they choose to do so, but all I'm saying is it is quite clear, and I think accepted by the Government, it is accepted that, in so far as the- judgment is concerned, it imposes an international legal obligation on us."

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Local government

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Scottish Government still against prisoners voting

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