MPs in fear of election suicide bid to cripple Government

A fanatical protester could cripple the Government by committing suicide, a Midland MP has warned.

Sir Patrick Cormack said the laws allowed anyone to disrupt a General Election by standing as a candidate and killing themselves.

This would automatically mean nominations re-opened in their constituency, and voting was delayed for several weeks.

But because there is nothing to stop the same person standing in more than one seat, a dedicated campaigner could prevent dozens of MPs from returning to the Commons.

Sir Patrick (Con Staffordshire South) was calling for reforms to Britain's electoral laws. His own election was delayed for seven weeks because of the death of the Liberal Democrat candidate in his constituency in the run-up to the May 5 General Election.

Speaking in the Commons yesterday, he said the system made sense in the past, when constituencies had only one or two candidates.

But it could lead to chaos today, when some constituencies have more than a dozen candidates.

He presented a backbench Bill, which is supported by Midland MPs including Gisela Stuart (Lab Edgbaston) and Michael Fabricant (Con Lichfield), and other senior figures including former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, Democratic Unionist leader Ian Paisley, and Lib Dem deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

"Every Member [of Parliament] knows that there, but for the grace of God, could he or she have gone," said Sir Patrick.

"What I am seeking to do is try to save any Member from any part of the House from having to go through the sort of ordeal I went through."

He pointed out that one candidate in the last election had stood in four constituencies, which could all have been forced to delay their polls if she had died.

He added: "What if a single candidate stood against every member of the Cabinet and then committed suicide? These are all practical possibilities."

Sir Patrick's proposed reforms include delaying elections for no more than 72 hours, and then only if a candidate from a major party had died. Candidates should be banned from standing in more than one constituency, he said.

The proposals are likely to be accepted by the Government in some form. Many MPs share Sir Patrick's fear that a dedicated campaigner might willingly give their life if they knew it would paralyse the Government.