General Elections could become adverts for Birmingham balti-houses, an MP has warned.

Roger Godsiff (Lab Sparkbrook and Small Heath) said he was concerned about new laws making it easier for smaller parties to stand for election.

Speaking in the House of Commons, he warned that restaurant owners in his constituency might use the ballot for publicity.

The MP was speaking in a debate on the Government's Electoral Administration Bill, which is designed to stamp out fraud.

It follows the voting scandal in Birmingham's council elections last year, which led to the poll for six city council seats being re-run.

But the Bill is also designed to increase participation. Reforms include allowing candidates to keep their £500 deposit if they win only two per cent of the vote, when they currently need five per cent.

Conservatives have claimed this will help extremist parties, such as the BNP, but Mr Godsiff told Ministers he had different concerns.

He said: "The provision to reduce the threshold for the deposit to two per cent is not a positive step.

"It will encourage publicity seekers. I know of many restaurant owners in the Balti sector of my constituency who would happily pay £500 for the right to advertise themselves as the owner of such-and-such a restaurant in so-and-so road."

He also called for a crackdown on candidates campaigning right outside polling stations on election day.

"On election day in Birmingham, people congregate at the entrance to polling stations. They hand out leaflets and give out a great deal of misinformation, particularly to voters whose first language is not English. Over the course of the day, the numbers increase, so that by early evening there could be 50 or 60 people campaigning outside the polling station gates."

Mr Godsiff said: "I do not understand why, in a Bill that is commendable overall, the Government are not prepared to bite the bullet and ban campaigning, handing out leaflets, playing messages on loudspeakers or indulging in other electoral activities within 100 or 150 yards of a polling station. If that were the case, the police would know what their position was and they would be able to take action. At present, they do not know and cannot act." Minister David Cairns said the Government might be willing to reconsider. He said: "We would not want to ram the measure through if it did not enjoy support on both sides of the House."

The Bill will create new offences, including falsely applying for a postal vote and providing false information to an electoral registration officer.

It will also tackle cultural issues which led to fears fraud could be a particular problem in Asian communities.