galloway on channel 4 news (postal vote fraud)

[luke]

jon show has just said galloway will be on in a bit, about postal vote fraud

if you miss it you'll be able to catch it on +1, or it might be on the web site

[faceless]

nice one, I'll grab it on the +1 later

[luke]

it was rubbish, galloway was only on for about 5 seconds, plus a couple of shots of him on the battle bus

[faceless]

[faceless]

Police investigate electoral fraud claims after journalist is beaten up
By Cahal Milmo and Rob Hastings
5 May 2010
independent.co.uk

Three Labour candidates standing in local elections in the London borough of Tower Hamlets have been spoken to by police investigating allegations of electoral fraud using falsely-registered postal votes. The inquiry by Scotland Yard Special Branch officers in the impoverished east London borough is part of a nationwide probe into 50 claims that electoral rolls from London to West Yorkshire, some of them in marginal constituencies, have been packed with fictitious or absent voters in the run up to this week's poll.

When The Independent visited the area on Monday to investigate the claims, reporter Jerome Taylor was attacked and badly beaten by youths shortly after calling at the house of Khales Uddin Ahmed, a Labour candidate for the Bromley-by-Bow ward. A total of 12 people are registered to Mr Ahmed's address, seven of whom have been added to the electoral roll in the last eight weeks. A witness said that two of the attackers tried to run into Mr Ahmed's property. A 16-year-old youth has been arrested on suspicion of assault and released on police bail. Mr Ahmed yesterday failed to respond to requests for an interview.

The Metropolitan Police said it had received 10 separate allegations passed to it by Tower Hamlets Borough Council that addresses in closely-fought wards had acquired multiple new occupants shortly before the electoral register closed last month. Four of the claims are now the subject of a police inquiry.

George Galloway, whose Respect Party has fought a long electoral grudge match in the borough with Labour since 2004, and the Conservative Party have highlighted entries on the electoral roll where up to 18 adults have been registered at flats containing just two or three bedrooms. Mr Galloway, who is standing in the Poplar and Limehouse seat, vowed yesterday to mount a legal challenge to the results if it seems likely that they have been affected by any irregularities at the ballot box.

Police confirmed they are investigating 28 claims of electoral fraud across 12 London boroughs. A spokesman said: "All complaints and allegations received will be assessed, and where appropriate, will be thoroughly investigated in close liaison with the CPS and other relevant agencies."

The Independent understands that three out of the 51 Labour candidates standing in Tower Hamlets, which has a large Bengali population, have been spoken to by detectives in the last three weeks as part of "routine enquiries" into the allegations. There have been no arrests.

Entries on the electoral roll which have been highlighted include an apartment block in the Bethnal Green area, inhabited by families mostly with two or three adults, where one flat has had 17 voters added to its listing in the last month. Another address, a small flat linked to a Labour councillor seeking re-election, has had three new voters registered within the past few weeks.

Tower Hamlets council said yesterday it would support calls to allow local authorities additional time to investigate late postal vote applications by allowing four extra days before the registration process closes to scrutinise application forms. The council said it had 3,123 registrations which it did not have time to investigate.

The allegations have led to a febrile atmosphere in the borough, where both parliamentary seats are held by slim majorities. Mr Galloway said: "The integrity of the elections here has been thoroughly compromised. Clearly there are grounds for arguing that these contests should end up before the electoral court." A Labour Party spokesman said: "The Labour Party condemns fraud wherever it takes place and will take tough action against any member, candidate, agent or activist who abuses the voting system."

Postal vote investigations nationwide

London
Police have received complaints of electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets; Barking and Dagenham; Lambeth; Westminster; Enfield; Hounslow; Haringey; Ealing; Brent; Bexleyheath; Camden; and Redbridge.

Overall they have received 28 separate allegations of postal voting fraud. Five are currently under investigation, with 23 being assessed. Of the five allegations under investigation, four are in Tower Hamlets, and one is in Ealing. Tower Hamlets Borough Council received 3,123 late postal vote registrations. A spokesperson for the council said that the late arrival of the applications did not give staff enough time to investigate and that the issue of electoral fraud was taken very seriously.

"We have over 300 staff from across the council now working on the elections and all have been trained to maintain the integrity of the election and watch out for potential voter fraud."

West Yorkshire
Police in Bradford have received three allegations of fraudulent postal votes and one allegation of "making or publishing false statements of fact about character or conduct". The allegations are still under investigation and no arrests have been made. In Halifax two men, aged 60 and 39, were arrested on 19 April this year, on suspicion of election fraud and are currently on police bail.

Manchester
There have been allegations of breaches of the Electoral Commission Code of Practice in Rochdale; North Manchester; Oldham and Bolton. The police are working with the Electoral Commission to investigate these reports.

Bristol
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said that they have received no allegations of electoral fraud, despite Bristol East Labour candidate Kerry McCarthy last week announcing the details of a postal vote count on Twitter, which is in breach of the Electoral Commission's Code.

Surrey
Tory activists said they had received reports that a man in hospital, on a ventilator, had been bullied by a member of a rival party into signing his postal vote in their favour, but Surrey police said have received no allegations of electoral fraud.

Derbyshire
Derbyshire police have investigated two allegations of postal voting fraud and both investigations have now been closed. Not enough evidence was found to charge anyone of voting fraud.

[faceless]

[faceless]

Arrest after alleged voting fraud in Peterborough

A Conservative activist in Peterborough has been arrested after alleged incidents of postal voting fraud. The man, who is believed to be a low-ranking member of the Conservative branch in Peterborough, was arrested and has been released on police bail.

Cambridgeshire Police said it was investigating a number of alleged fraudulent postal vote applications. Police said the inquiry concerned about 150 applications to vote in the local election. A police spokesman said: "Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire Constabulary are working closely to reduce the risk of election fraud being committed and ensure voters have confidence in the electoral system."

The Conservative Party said the man had been suspended. Chairman of the Conservatives in Peterborough Matthew Dalton: "We take allegations like this very seriously and as a consequence we have suspended the membership of the gentleman in question until the police investigation has been finalised."

A Peterborough City Council spokeswoman said: "We are aware that Peterborough police has made an arrest in connection with allegations of election fraud. We have been working closely with the police in the run-up to the elections to minimise the risks of election fraud and ensure people in Peterborough are able to use their vote freely without fear or intimidation. However, as there is an ongoing police investigation we cannot comment further at this stage."

[faceless]

Late surge for election registration sparks renewed fraud fear
06 May 2010
eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk

WITH just days to go before voters go to the poll police have been inundated with allegations of election fraud in Tower Hamlets. Detectives are looking into four claims of election fraud in Tower Hamlets.

Both the leader of the Conservatives Peter Golds and the Respect party have made formal complaints to the police and allege that candidates in the council elections are mixed up in the alleged fraud. They allege that names have been added to the electoral roll in the last few months with 18 on one address alone.

In a letter to police George Galloway said: "We now have a situation where some candidates have been adding names to the register at their own addresses and at the addresses of friends and family which defy plausibility. This has taken place on such a scale that, together with the widespread vote tampering, the integrity of elections here has been compromised."

Mr Golds said: "It is outrageous and utterly despicable." He has sent a list of eight addresses to the police which include 61 names added to the electoral roll recently.

The Advertiser investigated allegations into 18 voters registered to a four bedroomed flat in Cambridge Heath Road in Bethnal Green. In March no one was registered to vote at that address and it did not appear on the March edition of the electoral roll. But in the latest edition of the electoral roll 18 people are registered to vote there.

When the Advertiser visited residents at the flat they said they did not know all the names on the list and claimed just 10 people lived in the house, not the 18 on the electoral roll. The group, who were students from Bangladesh said they did not recognise seven names on the list. One of the residents on the electoral roll student Mohammad Asifur Rahman said: "We do not know who these guys are." The men said a further resident at the flat does not feature on the electoral roll.

In a letter to officials including Tower Hamlets borough commander Chief Supt Paul Rickett, the council's returning officer Kevan Collins, deputy returning officer Isabella Freeman George Galloway said: "It is apparent there was a last minute surge of fraudsters amongst the more legitimate late applications. It beggars belief that suddenly eight, 10, 12 and even 18 adults should suddenly appear on the register just as it is about to close for the election.

He claims one election candidate has links to eight addresses in Tower Hamlets, with 77 people on the electoral roll. Ms Freeman said the council has carried out a search on properties where more than eight residents were registered to vote and has removed 141 people from the list. She added in the last days before the register closed on April 20 there had been a last minute surge of 5,166 more registrations.

Any allegations of election fraud in Tower Hamlets are being looked at by a Met Police specialist unit. A spokeswoman from the Electoral Commission said the election could not be pulled whilst allegations are investigated but candidates can challenge the results up to 21 days after the election.