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| UK prisoner voting rights breached, European judges rule | UK prisoner voting rights breached, European judges rule |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The rights of more than 1,000 UK prisoners were breached when they were prevented from voting in elections, European judges have ruled. | The rights of more than 1,000 UK prisoners were breached when they were prevented from voting in elections, European judges have ruled. |
| The case was brought by inmates who were in prison during various elections between 2009 and 2011. | The case was brought by inmates who were in prison during various elections between 2009 and 2011. |
| This is the fourth time the UK has been found in violation of its blanket ban on giving convicted prisoners the vote. | This is the fourth time the UK has been found in violation of its blanket ban on giving convicted prisoners the vote. |
| The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly called for a change in the law but this has not happened. | The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly called for a change in the law but this has not happened. |
| Both the previous Labour government and current coalition have failed to legislate - although various proposals have been debated in an attempt to end the long-running row with the Strasbourg court. | Both the previous Labour government and current coalition have failed to legislate - although various proposals have been debated in an attempt to end the long-running row with the Strasbourg court. |
| This latest case concerned 1,015 prisoners, a grouping of long-standing prisoner voting cases, and the court ruled there had been a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights - right to a free election. | This latest case concerned 1,015 prisoners, a grouping of long-standing prisoner voting cases, and the court ruled there had been a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights - right to a free election. |
| BBC legal affairs correspondent Clive Coleman said the ruling was "not a surprise" and there had been a succession of similar judgements over the last decade. | |
| A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government has always been clear that it believes prisoner voting is an issue that should ultimately be decided in the UK. However we welcome the court's decision to refuse convicted prisoners costs or damages." | A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government has always been clear that it believes prisoner voting is an issue that should ultimately be decided in the UK. However we welcome the court's decision to refuse convicted prisoners costs or damages." |
| Sean Humber, from law firm Leigh Day, representing 554 of the prisoners, welcomed the court's ruling and said they would be seeking a review of the decision not to award compensation. | |
| "Unfortunately, we seem to be in the sad position where the government is taking an almost perverse pleasure in ignoring successive court judgments and is content to continue violating the human rights of thousands of its citizens," he said. | |
| "It should be worrying to all of us that the government appears to have so little regard for its international human rights obligations or indeed the rule of law." |