A Midland MP whose election was delayed after a rival candidate died has won crossparty backing to ensure it can never happen again.

Sir Patrick Cormack (Con) was eventually returned to his South Staffordshire seat seven weeks after the May General Election.

The delay followed the death of Liberal Democrat candidate Jo Harrison in his constituency, which meant nominations had to be reopened.

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South Staffordshire is a safe Conservative seat, and the wait meant constituents were left without representation in Parliament even though the end result was never in doubt.

But Sir Patrick has warned the law as it stands could have more serious consequences - if a candidate committed suicide.

In theory, one person can stand in a number of constituencies.

It would be possible for a fanatical protester to cripple the British Government by standing in the seats of the Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers, and killing themselves, the MP has warned.

Last night the Commons debated proposals to change the law.

They were submitted by Sir Patrick as amendments to the Government's Electoral Administration Bill, which is designed to stamp out fraud.

The changes will prevent anyone from standing in more than one seat.

Elections will still be delayed if one of the candidates dies but only the party whose candidate has passed away will be allowed to nominate someone new.

The changes were officially sponsored by senior Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell and Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, among others. They also had the blessing of the Government.

The Electoral Administration Bill includes a range of measures prompted by claims of widespread fraud in last year's local elections in Birmingham.

It will create new offences of falsely applying for a postal vote and providing false information to an electoral registration officer.

Information explaining how the electoral system works will be sent to voters in a range of languages, and postal voting forms will include instructions that will make it clear they should be completed in privacy and secrecy.

But Conservatives said the Government was still placing too much emphasis on making it easy to vote even at the expense of measures to clamp down on fraud.

Tory spokesman Jonathan Djanogly said having an accurate register was "no less important if not more important" than increasing numbers registered to vote.

About three million people are not presently registered to vote, many of them council tenants or from ethnic minority communities.

In a bid to eradicate what Ministers have dubbed " democracy deserts", chief electoral officers will have to "take all necessary steps" to ensure everyone is registered.

The extra powers and responsibilities for town hall election staff to maximise registration are to be backed with £17 million of Government cash over the next two years.

The Bill also opens the way for teenage MPs by reducing the age limit for election candidates from 21 to 18.