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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| EU referendum: Voter extension may be legally challenged by Arron Banks | EU referendum: Voter extension may be legally challenged by Arron Banks |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A prominent Leave campaigner is considering launching a legal challenge after the government extended the EU referendum voter registration deadline. | A prominent Leave campaigner is considering launching a legal challenge after the government extended the EU referendum voter registration deadline. |
| Leave.EU founder Arron Banks said there were grounds for a judicial review of the "unconstitutional" move. | Leave.EU founder Arron Banks said there were grounds for a judicial review of the "unconstitutional" move. |
| It comes after the government website for registering voters failed just before Tuesday's original deadline. | It comes after the government website for registering voters failed just before Tuesday's original deadline. |
| A Britain Stronger in Europe source said Mr Banks was entitled to spend his money as he wished. | A Britain Stronger in Europe source said Mr Banks was entitled to spend his money as he wished. |
| The government has pushed through emergency legislation to allow people to register until 23:59 BST on Thursday. | The government has pushed through emergency legislation to allow people to register until 23:59 BST on Thursday. |
| The extension to the deadline covers everywhere apart from Northern Ireland, where the online system was not in use. | The extension to the deadline covers everywhere apart from Northern Ireland, where the online system was not in use. |
| The BBC understands that if there is another glitch before the new deadline the registration period will not be extended again. | |
| The site's capacity has been expanded but anyone wanting to register to vote - and anyone who voted in the May elections will not need to unless they have moved home - is still being advised not to risk leaving it until close to midnight. | The site's capacity has been expanded but anyone wanting to register to vote - and anyone who voted in the May elections will not need to unless they have moved home - is still being advised not to risk leaving it until close to midnight. |
| Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin said in the hour leading up to the crash there had been 214,000 registration applications. | |
| Tuesday's spike was "three times as intense a spike as occurred before the general election" he said, and it would now take a spike "six times as large" to cause the site to fail again, he told MPs. | |
| According to the official government website, there were 242,000 applications to register to vote on Wednesday, the second highest total since mid-May when a registration campaign was launched. Of these, 135,600 were from people aged under 35. | |
| Traffic to the website on Thursday seems to be lower, with about 2,000 to 2,500 people using it at any one time. | |
| 'All legal options' | 'All legal options' |
| In an interview for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Banks, an insurance millionaire, told political correspondent Ross Hawkins: "We've got lawyers that are looking at it at the moment. | In an interview for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Banks, an insurance millionaire, told political correspondent Ross Hawkins: "We've got lawyers that are looking at it at the moment. |
| "They are tending to say it's unconstitutional because once you've set the rules you can't really change it halfway through, and Parliament really shouldn't be doing this." | "They are tending to say it's unconstitutional because once you've set the rules you can't really change it halfway through, and Parliament really shouldn't be doing this." |
| In a statement Mr Banks said: "We believe it is unconstitutional at best and have been advised that with legitimate cause we could challenge this extension. | In a statement Mr Banks said: "We believe it is unconstitutional at best and have been advised that with legitimate cause we could challenge this extension. |
| "We are therefore considering all available legal options with our legal team, with a view to potentially launching a judicial review now and after the outcome of the referendum on 23 June." | "We are therefore considering all available legal options with our legal team, with a view to potentially launching a judicial review now and after the outcome of the referendum on 23 June." |
| There were calls to extend the deadline from across the political divide after the online problems emerged, although some Conservative backbench MPs have criticised the move. | There were calls to extend the deadline from across the political divide after the online problems emerged, although some Conservative backbench MPs have criticised the move. |
| BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said many Leave campaigners see the deadline extension as a "fix" because they think people signing up late will be younger and therefore more likely to support the EU. | BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said many Leave campaigners see the deadline extension as a "fix" because they think people signing up late will be younger and therefore more likely to support the EU. |
| The official leave campaign - Vote Leave, in which Mr Banks plays no part - has said the government is trying to register as many likely Remain voters as possible, but stopped short of suggesting that it would consult lawyers. | The official leave campaign - Vote Leave, in which Mr Banks plays no part - has said the government is trying to register as many likely Remain voters as possible, but stopped short of suggesting that it would consult lawyers. |
| A Britain Stronger in Europe source said: "Mr Banks is entitled to spend his money as he wishes. We'll keep pointing out Britain is stronger, safer and better off in the EU - and leaving is a leap in the dark." | A Britain Stronger in Europe source said: "Mr Banks is entitled to spend his money as he wishes. We'll keep pointing out Britain is stronger, safer and better off in the EU - and leaving is a leap in the dark." |
| The chances of any judicial review succeeding are impossible to assess until the legislation on which MPs will vote on Thursday has been published and studied. | The chances of any judicial review succeeding are impossible to assess until the legislation on which MPs will vote on Thursday has been published and studied. |
| Leave.EU threatened, but did not bring, a judicial review against the Electoral Commission's decision to make Vote Leave the designated lead out campaign. | Leave.EU threatened, but did not bring, a judicial review against the Electoral Commission's decision to make Vote Leave the designated lead out campaign. |