Political and Constitutional Reform

Barry Gardiner Excerpts

Monday 5th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. I think there is widespread concern on both sides of the House about the evidence of irregularities in the way postal votes are administered. We are indeed looking at that right now.

[Barry Gardiner (Brent North) (Lab)]

When the Deputy Prime Minister said only months ago that the electorate of Islington North was 66,472 while only 10 miles away, the comparable figure in East Ham was 87,809, was he referring to the position before the general election at which point the Boundary Commission came in to remedy that situation? Does he not think that it was perhaps disingenuous to mislead the House in that way? Does he accept that—