MP Amess speaks out over "lax" electoral system

9:18am Monday 31st December 2012 in News

David Amess David Amess

A TORY MP spoke out in the Commons over the “lax” electoral system after a Leigh man registered five fake voters at his two-bedroom flat.

David Amess, MP for Southend West, told parliamentary colleagues about Terry Davis, 59, who sought to expose holes in the electoral system.

Mr Davis was voluntarily interviewed by police after registering five false names as voters at his Leighton Avenue flat.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Amess said: “The census was obviously not checked to verify the residents in the property.

“We are both anxious about what appears to be a very lax system.”

The retired market trader faces an anxious wait as he is yet to hear if he will face charges for electoral fraud, more than seven weeks after he was interviewed by police at Leigh police station. Mr Davis said: “It’s a bit of a strain over Christmas. I would have preferred it if it had gone to court, then the council would have been able to answer for its shortcomings.

“At the moment it is not. It’s like shooting the messenger.”

Southend Council sent Mr Davis five polling cards for the police and crime commissioner elections last month without checking if the five names he registered were real.

Mr Davis had no intention of using the voting cards to vote illegally and handed them to the Echo.

The Crown Prosecution Service will decide whether to take Mr Davis to court, based on whether the evidence police gather is likely to secure a conviction and if a prosecution would be in the public interest.

If convicted, he would face a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison.

The police were unable to confirm whether the investigation into Mr Davis’s actions was ongoing or had been dropped.

Comments(10)

Eric Whim says...
10:03am Mon 31 Dec 12

until you've learned to keep your grasping mitts out of the expenses and your nose out of the trough Amess, I recommend you keep your grinning gurning face well out of it and get on with the real job you were elected to do - represent the electorate in your seat.

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jayman says...
10:48am Mon 31 Dec 12

what is this blithering idiot on about now. Oh yes. the type of electoral tomfoolery that has secured the Tories power over numerous elections..

And as for representation, we may as well have a cardboard cut out of a page three model. the level of parliamentary representation would remain about the same with a cardboard cut out, it would however be an improvement to look at and it would be completely immune to lobbying and back handers.

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lennyfy says...
11:42am Mon 31 Dec 12

" Amess speaks out " that must be a first unless of cource he is asking for a new pad of expenses forms.

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jayman says...
12:11pm Mon 31 Dec 12

if you want to know about what this man represents. watch this.

http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=OLqHuaRV9
co

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soul man says...
2:24pm Mon 31 Dec 12

who's this **** to talk about lax, isn't he the one who hid in a hairdressers when folk challenged him about his expenses, some folk have more front than blackpool promenade, him being top of the list, oh, and diplomacy has neven been my strongpoint, when folk like hime really grate me, but i say it how it is

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firedog says...
4:12pm Mon 31 Dec 12

Silly man,I was going to register 10 people at this address,and vote for him
now he might not get in next time.Still I am sure he would not like to be a party to anything dishonest.

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Discouraged says...
5:52pm Mon 31 Dec 12

This lovely man claimed £600 a month to buy a flat which he now rents it out after we kindly bought it for him, and now he charges for hotels. He claimed £100 a week for food when the maximum allowed was £100. When he was MP for Basildon the schools there weren't good enough for his children, so he sent them to Brentwood.

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westcliffboy says...
6:47pm Mon 31 Dec 12

Watch out, Mr A Mess. Many of us have not forgotten your expenses fiddling - and we are not happy with your current housing arrangements, renting out one property in Docklands while claiming mortgage payments for another. You represent Southend West, you claim to know the area. Why not commute like the rest of us? You don't have late sittings in the Commons any more, so what's the excuse this time?
Just a pity the electors of your constituency can't be bothered to turn out and vote you out!

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Carnabackable says...
9:45am Tue 1 Jan 13

If any of the above posters, feel they could do a better job, than the right honourable gentleman, then GET ELECTED.
In the meantime, enjoy your ignorant armchair political stances, and don't forget to vote at the next election.

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jayman says...
6:38pm Tue 1 Jan 13

Carnabackable wrote:
If any of the above posters, feel they could do a better job, than the right honourable gentleman, then GET ELECTED.
In the meantime, enjoy your ignorant armchair political stances, and don't forget to vote at the next election.
because most of us are not Old Etonians, ex trade unionists or puppets for rich corporate lobbyists.

get rid of the deposit and party political system then you may find that parliament becomes a place where individuals of the people are voted by the people for the people AKA democracy...

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