Here is Richard Mawrey QC’s verdict on the postal vote fraud case in Birmingham:
The judge said he regretted the government had dismissed recent warnings about the system’s failings as “scaremongering”.
He pointed to a government statement which said: “The systems already in place to deal with the allegations of electoral fraud are clearly working.”
Mr Mawrey said: “Anybody who has sat through the case I have just tried and listened to evidence of electoral fraud that would disgrace a banana republic would find this statement surprising…
“The systems to deal with fraud are not working well,” he said.
“They are not working badly. The fact is that there are no systems to deal realistically with fraud and there never have been. Until there are, fraud will continue unabated.”
Labour have suspended 6 Councillors and the Aston Ward Organiser, the party statement is here.
I know we are only a month a way from a vote but how about some swift action from the government to ban postal votes completely at the upcoming poll?
Update: Eric agrees.