Prisoners vote judgement condemned

Local MEP Paul Nuttall has described the ECHR ruling that prisoners should have the vote as "appalling".

"The UKIP position is there should be a blanket ban of votes for prisoners. This is a bad judgment from a Mickey Mouse court," said Mr Nuttall, UKIP Deputy Leader.

"We should not have to come cap in hand to a foreign court seeking to defend the clear wishes of the British parliament and people.

"Pass David Cameron the sick bag because this judgment means that British prisoners will get the vote- some of them at least.

"This judgment will cause major ructions in the coalition over arguments on who can and who cannot vote, with the LibDems looking for all prisoners to have a say in elections and the Tories being more restrictive.

"It also opens up a can of worms for more and more legal challenges to the ECHR and claims in the British courts with people playing the 'human rights game.'

"It is an appalling judgment, a slap in the face to the British democratic process and once again signals the UK cannot escape this ECHR judgment as we are signed-up members of the EU," said Mr Nuttall, who was among UKIP MEPs and assistants who staged a protest outside the ECHR court as the judgement was announced.