Threat to election from legal challenge

A High Court judge is to rule on a legal challenge that could see the general election postponed over fears of postal vote fraud.

A Lib-Dem candidate is asking permission to seek a judicial review into postal vote procedures.

The case is being brought by John Hemming, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and a candidate in Birmingham Yardley.

Mr Hemming was one of the first to sound the alarm over widespread abuses in last year's council election which led to the sacking of six Labour councillors.

Mr Justice Collins is expected to hear the case on Thursday. Also on Thursday, police chiefs are to meet senior civil servants to discuss their concerns. Representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers will attend a Whitehall summit to identify potential problems in the run up to 5 May.

A spokesman for the Department for Constitutional Affairs denied it was a crisis meeting but confirmed postal voting fraud would be on the agenda. In his High Court action, Mr Hemming is demanding safeguards including postal votes being counted separately and parties being allowed to check postal vote application forms.

The changes would require a rewriting of electoral law. If judges decided that the system was open to fraud but it proved impossible to change the law in time, there could be a delayed election. Mr Hemming said: "I'm not trying to defer the general election but if the judge ordered the Prime Minister to change the law and he didn't there are a lot of interesting constitutional implications."

A Lib-Dem spokesman said: "It's an individual action by John Hemmings. It's not [from the] party."

? Masked protesters caused chaos at a Muslim election press conference today.

The Muslim Council of Great Britain was forced to suspend the event after around 15 demonstrators burst in. The conference was being held to unveil key questions for Muslims to ask election candidates. The protesters accused the council of being a "mouthpiece" for the Prime Minister.