Polling stations

On Thursday a number of Hackney residents were unable to vote. I visited all 40 polling stations in Hackney South and Shoreditch during the day. I saw first-hand the problems caused by the central government administration failure. I pay tribute to the resilience of the Council's staff who were working hard to make sure that everyone could vote. They did all they could in difficult circumstances which were beyond their control.

The Government's new on-line individual registration proved to be a shambles. We warned them of the problems of this complex and over bureaucratic system. I am angry on behalf of these constituents denied the right to vote. I shall be raising this with the relevant minister next week. I will also be meeting with the local returning officer in Hackney to look at what happened.