A senior government minister today launched a stinging attack on the Electoral Commission for doing too little to tackle voting fraud ahead of this week’s mayoral and assembly battles.
In a letter to the commission, the independent watchdog against corruption in political life, local government minister Grant Shapps warned: “We cannot afford to be complacent.”
He is calling for a major audit of votes cast in a recent by-election in Tower Hamlets to identify bogus voters, blamed for causing a shock Labour defeat.
Worried councillors have seen evidence that votes belonging to a prisoner in jail and a dead person were hijacked. It is also alleged that the plotters invented false identities and intimidated local people into handing over their postal ballot papers.
“Given this background I see the need for the Electoral Commission to be more pro-active in investigating the situation,” said Mr Shapps, writing to commission chair Jenny Watson.
Concerns came to a head this month when Labour lost a formerly safe council seat in Spitalfields and Banglatown. Gulam Robbani, an independent candidate backed by Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman, won by just 43 votes.
Peter Wardle, chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said: “[We are] working through all the areas of risk in relation to this week’s elections in Tower Hamlets. The Commission will be monitoring this throughout this week.
"We expect that the police investigation already under way into potential criminal offences will address the other actions the Minister suggests.”
