prisoners vote News

Europe's Human Rights watchdog hit back today in the continuing war of words with London over voting rights for prisoners.

Prime Minister David Cameron is defying a Strasbourg court ruling that the UK's blanket ban on all prisoners voting while in jail is a breach of human rights.

But a draft Bill before Parliament - announced as a deadline expired for action to change the law - includes the option of keeping domestic rules unchanged.

The judgment is expected to be made in September 2013.

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47 ministers on the Council of Europe have said the UK's plans for prisoner voting are not in line with the convention.

The committee of ministers in Strasbourg, which oversees the European Court of Human Rights, has confirmed continuing with the third option in the draft parliament bill on voting would breach the UK's obligation to enforce the court's decisions.

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