Robert Brown - Labour Government Election "shambles" must never happen again

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 8th Oct 2007

A call for fixed term elections for Westminster has been made by Glasgow Liberal Democrat MSP Robert Brown. Commenting on the announcement that there would be no election, he said the shambles, caused by the Prime Minister and the Labour Government in recent weeks over the possibility of an election, must never happen again.

Robert Brown said:

"The Scottish Parliament has a fixed term election; the European Parliament has a fixed term election; there is a fixed term for Councils. It is an utter nonsense that at Westminster, the Prime Minister can fiddle about with the date of the election according to whether he thinks it suits the Labour Party or not.

"It is particularly offensive after he has given us dodgy figures for troop withdrawals from Iraq, some of whom had been withdrawn already, and plays about with the politics and media coverage of the Iraq conflict to try to gain party advantage.

"In Scotland, we have of course had a full election only 6 months ago for the Scottish Parliament and the Local authorities. It would be far better if the Westminster elections were fixed every 4 years, with the Scottish Parliament elections half way between.

"The Liberal Democrats in Westminster are lodging a Bill to provide for fixed term elections. I think the Prime Minister, after the mauling he has had over the last few weeks, should be the first in the queue to support it.

"More importantly it is of vital public interest that the Prime Minister's ability to play lottery games with the election date should be ended."

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