TWO high-profile Christian MPs have been appointed to a panel
that will investigate allegations of misconduct at elections.
David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham, and David Burrowes,
the Conservative MP for Enfield, Southgate, are among those
ap-pointed to the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into electoral
conduct in the UK.
A statement said: "The purpose of the inquiry is to investigate
and evaluate the effectiveness of existing lines of responsibility
and accountability in managing elections, and specifically, charges
of misconduct during elections with a particular focus on racism
and discrimination."
The inquiry has been commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary
Group against Anti-Semitism, but "will focus on discrimination more
broadly". Oral-evidence sessions will be held in Parliament,
starting in April or May; a report will be published in the
summer.
Mr Burrowes said: "As the elected representative for Enfield
Southgate, I am very interested in the management of elections, and
concerned by any incidences of electoral misconduct. I am hopeful
that this inquiry will bring to light ways that we can make our
electoral system more fair and responsible, as well as tackling
issues such as racism and discrimination."
At a conference on gangs last month, Mr Lammy spoke about
worklessness and the need to tackle the "rights-obsessive culture",
where solidarity had been lost (
News, 18 January).
