Gordon Brown has been asked in Prime Minister's Questions for assurances that service personnel overseas will be able to vote in the coming General Election.
(Daily Telegraph; Published: 7:30AM GMT 11 Mar 2010) During Prime Minister's Questions, Richard Benyon, a Tory MP and former soldier, said postal trials by the Army Families Federation had revealed limitations in the current arrangements.
He warned that a ''perverse situation'' could arise where the armed forces were fighting for people in foreign countries to have the vote but could not cast a ballot themselves.
''It is unlikely that the vast majority of our armed forces serving overseas will be able to vote in the coming election,'' Mr Benyon said.
''Will you intervene to ensure that we don't have the perverse situation that we have people fighting abroad for others to have the right to vote but we are denying that right (to them).''
Mr Brown said Justice Secretary Jack Straw was making the ''best arrangements possible'' to ensure service personnel overseas would be able to cast their vote.
And he said: ''It is absolutely right that everyone should have the chance to cast their vote in every election.'' ...
