I'll post this here, though I imagine it will be in the press soon enough..

Labour Party Response to the Judgment of the Election Commissionerfficeffice" />

Immediately following on from the publication of the judgment by the Election Commissioner, Richard Mawrey QC, the Labour Party has announced the appointment of a senior member of its National Executive Committee to oversee the upcoming election campaign in the city of ffice:smarttags" />Birmingham.

NEC member, Mike Griffiths, has been appointed by the General Secretary of the Labour Party to oversee the election campaign and to study the Election Court judgment in order to ensure that lessons are learned.

Mr Griffiths, who heads-up the Labour Party’s National Organisation Committee, commented:

"The Labour Party expects the highest standards of integrity and honesty

from its councillors and campaign workers.  These standards have not been met in Aston and Bordesley Green Wards in Birmingham.

"The Labour Party condemns totally any and all cases of electoral fraud or

abuse of the electoral rules. 

“The judgment just delivered is lengthy and detailed and raises many issues that the Labour Party will consider extremely carefully. It also needs to be considered in the context of 7.7m postal votes cast last year in the June 2004 elections.

"The Labour Party will now conduct a vigorous disciplinary process and in

the meantime the 6 Councillors and the Aston Ward Organiser, are immediately suspended pending the completion of the disciplinary inquiry."

Mr Griffiths confirmed that he would be overseeing the Labour Party's

campaigning in Birmingham in the forthcoming General Election. His first priority will be to ensure that the Electoral Commission's Code of Conduct on the handling of postal votes and postal vote applications by political party activists is widely circulated and understood by Labour Party activists.