Tower Hamlets LBC has won a court ruling preventing three Respect party members standing for election in the borough. The three prospective candidates from ~George Galloway~'s party had hoped to stand in St Katharine's and Wapping's ward today. But their papers were ruled invalid in April by the council because all three had used out-of-date electoral register numbers. High Court judge Mr Justice Keith ruled the council was wrong in not allowing them to stand and the election in that ward should not take place. The council claimed the ruling created an ‘expectation' that all nomination forms should be checked by councils prior to the deadline, when any assistance was an entirely voluntary act. So the London borough took the case to the Court of Appeal, which found in the authority's favour on Friday. The court ruling said there was no ‘abuse of power' by Tower Hamlets and reaffirmed it was the candidates' duty in law to get nomination papers right.
