HARLOW MP Robert Halfon joined the majority who voted against giving prisoners the vote this week.
Mr Halfon, who made four interventions during the debate in the House of Commons, also called for the UK to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights after it threatened to fine the Government tens of millions of pounds if it failed to comply with the ruling.
During the debate, Mr Halfon asked why judges sitting in Strasbourg were ordering Britain to give prisoners the right to vote.
"Given that the European Convention of Human Rights was established after the Second World War to ensure the Nazi tragedy never happened again, was it really the case that the founders of the declaration really wanted Albert Speer and Rudolph Hess – two leading Nazis who served long jail sentences post war – to have the vote?" he asked.
The court ruled that a blanket ban against prisoners voting was unlawful in 2005. In June of last year the Council of Europe, which enforces the court’s decrees, urged the coalition Government to rectify the situation.
However, on Thursday MPs voted 234 to 22 against the motion which, although not binding, could put pressure on ministers to ignore the court’s decision.
Speaking after the debate, Mr Halfon said: "For weeks now we have been told that the European Court of Human Rights will force the Government to give prisoners the vote as this is seen by the judges as a basic human right.
"The good news is that Parliament will not take this lying down and has now fought back."
