MPs defied the European Court of Human Rights last night by backing a ban on prisoners voting.

PM David Cameron missed the vote and ordered all his ministers to abstain.
But the Commons decided by a huge majority of 234 to 22 to stick with the 140-year-old rule.
The ECHR had ordered Britain to give at least 28,000 lags the right to go to the ballot box.
Now the Government faces a legal battle with Europe and a constitutional crisis.
Loud cheers greeted the result in the Commons - which threw the Coalition Government's plans to kowtow to the Strasbourg judges into total disarray.

Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis - who helped draw up the vote motion with ex-Labour Justice Secretary Jack Straw - said: "It is a brilliant result.

"A 99 per cent majority, which we believe also reflects the view in the country that prisoners should not be given the vote.

"The ball is now in the Government's court to go back to the ECHR and tell them they cannot supplant the role of Parliament.

Mr Straw, who warned the European court was "undermining its own legitimacy", added: "I am delighted with both the fact and the scale of the vote, which underlines the strength of feeling in the House."

Compensation

The stand - while not legally binding - was being seen as the first fight back against a torrent of laws passed by Europe judges.
The Sun yesterday urged MPs to defy the Euro court to let our democracy prevail. Last night politicians, legal experts and democracy campaigners all called on Prime Minister David Cameron to seize the opportunity to take on Strasbourg.

Blair Gibbs, from influential think-tank Policy Exchange, said: "The Government has the backing of Parliament and the public who clearly favour such issues being decided in the UK, not by foreign judges sitting in a remote court." Government lawyers must now plot a way out of the constitutional crisis.

Delighted ... Davis and Straw drew up motion that the MPs backed
Jailbirds could bring a wave of compensation claims against the Government.
Mr Cameron missed yesterday's vote and went on a visit to Wiltshire instead.
He ordered all his ministers to abstain. But backbenchers had a free vote and rebellious Tories joined forces with Labour MPs. A total of 394 abstained. With Tories and Lib Dems in disagreement, the Coalition is paralysed on the issue.
Mr Cameron had said: "In my view prisoners should not get the vote, and that's that."
He then spread confusion by adding: "But we are going to have to sort this out one way or the other."

ECHR judges ruled in 2005 that Britain's ban on votes for lags was illegal after a case brought by axe killer John Hirst.

Attorney General Dominic Grieve warned that Britain had "obligations" under the European Convention on Human Rights.
But he added that last night's vote would help ministers in what would be a "drawn out dialogue between ourselves and the Court".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About time as well...the UK people are sick of Europe giving us laws that are against our constitution. Faceless people that were not elected by the British that are hell bent on making us suffer for their perverse sense of humour. If they want that law good on them ...have it but don’t give it to us because we are sick to death with the Euro stupidity.

IE, straight cucumbers and straight bananas, no such thing as a large egg because it hurts the Hen, I have yet to see the farmers pushing the eggs back up the hens ass.

Well I hope this is just the start and we do pull out of the European Charter of Human Rights, because it has been a thorn in the UKs side ever since that idiot Blaire gave away our Country. Then maybe all those killers of children on our roads will be sent back to their own country to be shot as traitors, instead of wasting the UK tax payers money staying over here claiming assistance. Never mind their human rights, think about the ones they stole. To be quite honest, do we really need Europe, we would be some £45 billion plus better off every year? Why should I have to pay for a farmer in Italy, Greece or Spain to breed sheep, just because he cannot milk cows...give me a break?


Regards IAN 2411{lillirose}