Council of Europe condemns UK MPs

The Council of Europe has hit back at the MPs’ rebellion against a ruling to give voting rights to prisoners.

The overwhelming Commons vote has no legal force, but it prompted a warning from Strasbourg that the UK Government must still “honour its international obligations”.

The Council of Europe enforces decisions of the European Court of Human Rights which triggered a storm by delivering a legal judgment that denying voting rights breaches prisoners’ human rights.

Now a senior member of the council’s parliamentary committee has made clear the Commons vote changes nothing.

Christos Pourgourides said in a statement: “I am deeply disappointed by last night’s vote, in defiance of the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on prisoner voting.

“I had hoped that the parliament of one of Europe’s oldest democracies – regarded as playing a leading role in protecting human rights – would have encouraged the United Kingdom to honour its international obligations, as our assembly urged only last month. Every member state must implement the judgments of the court.”

The statement went on: “The UK Government has said that it intends to implement this judgment, and I encourage it to find a way to do so that is consistent with its international legal obligations. There are different ways this can be done, as shown by the range of positions on this issue in Council of Europe member states.”