David Cameron today said it makes him "physically ill" to
be forced to give prisoners the vote.

The PM was responding to a question by Dartford
MP Gareth Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mr Johnson, who opposes votes for prisoners, said: "Does the
Prime Minister agree with me that it would be wrong for convicted
prisoners to be able to vote as suggested by the European Court of
Human Rights and that the incarceration of convicted prisoners
should mean there is a loss of rights for the individual and that
includes the right to vote?"

Replying, Mr Cameron said: "I completely agree… it
makes me physically ill to contemplate giving the vote to
prisoners.

"They should lose some rights including the right to vote."

But he added the government had no choice in the matter and
refusing to act could cost the country £160m.

"We are in a situation we have to deal with. As it is we have to
deal with a problem left to us by the previous government."

A number of the county’s MPs have spoken out against giving
prisoners the vote.

Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson, whose constituency includes three
prisons, vowed to rebel against the move, saying he was
outraged.

Chatham
and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch said: "I am very unhappy about the
European Court’s ruling outlawing the blanket ban on prisoners
voting and I think that the vast majority of people will be angry
at the thought of criminals being allowed to determine the outcome
of elections.

"More often than not, when a person is convicted of a crime it
is because they have infringed another’s human right, and have
therefore forfeited their own political rights and
responsibilities.

"This is yet another horrendous outcome the new Government has
inherited from Labour’s craven attitude towards Europe and now the
best we are going to be able to do is to apply certain criteria to
who can, and who can’t vote, whilst in prison."