Tories call police over doubling of postal vote requests

SCOTLAND Yard is investigating more than 60 allegations of voting malpractice in London ahead of local elections.

Eleven cases have been reported to police in Hammersmith and Fulham by the Conservatives, including some where residents said they were given postal votes they had not requested.

Others believe they were tricked into applying for a postal vote, including one who said she thought she was signing a petition about a hospital.

It comes amid a surge in people applying for postal votes in some marginal wards in the Labour-run borough. The Conservatives allege that registrations have doubled in some wards.

A Labour spokesman said: “This is a baseless allegation and a desperate, politically-motivated attempt by a Tory MP to use the police to grab a headline during a closely fought campaign.”