Richard Mawrey
Encyclopedia
Richard Mawrey QC
is a barrister and Deputy High Court Judge
in the United Kingdom
. He is a bencher of Gray's Inn
and a member of Henderson Chambers. In his role as a judge in election
cases, he has repeatedly criticised the postal voting system in the United Kingdom.
Mawrey came to public notice in 2005 as the Commissioner presiding over the Election court
which ruled that the 2004 elections in two Birmingham City Council
wards, Aston
and Bordesley Green
, had been invalid due to extensive electoral fraud
through the manipulation of postal ballots. He found six Labour
councillors personally guilty of corrupt practices
, although one was cleared on appeal. He also severely criticised the whole postal vote system, saying, of a Government statement that "the systems already in place to deal with the allegations of electoral fraud are clearly working", that "anybody who has sat through the case I have just tried and listened to evidence of electoral fraud that would disgrace a banana republic
would find this statement surprising."
Other recent cases in which Mawrey has sat as Commissioner in election cases include a petition against the result for the Central Borough ward of Slough Borough Council
held on 3 May 2007. In that case he said "I have been appalled ... by the ease with which these substantial frauds were committed", and went on to say that "despite the 2006 [Electoral Administration] Act, the opportunities for easy and effective electoral fraud remain substantially as they were on 4th April 2005."
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
is a barrister and Deputy High Court Judge
High Court judge
A High Court judge is a judge of the High Court of Justice, and represents the third highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales. High Court judges are referred to as puisne judges...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He is a bencher of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and a member of Henderson Chambers. In his role as a judge in election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
cases, he has repeatedly criticised the postal voting system in the United Kingdom.
Mawrey came to public notice in 2005 as the Commissioner presiding over the Election court
Election court
An Election Court is, in United Kingdom election law, a special court convened to hear a petition against the result of a local government or Parliamentary election. The court is created to hear the individual case, and ceases to exist when it has made its decision.- Statutory basis :Election...
which ruled that the 2004 elections in two Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
wards, Aston
Aston
Aston is an area of the City of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Lying to the north-east of the Birmingham city centre, Aston constitutes an electoral ward within the council constituency of Ladywood.-History:...
and Bordesley Green
Bordesley Green
Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles south-east from the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is also a ward in the formal district of Hodge Hill. Neighbouring areas include, Alum Rock, Saltley, Small Heath and Yardley.Heartlands Hospital...
, had been invalid due to extensive electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
through the manipulation of postal ballots. He found six Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillors personally guilty of corrupt practices
Corrupt practices
Corrupt practices in English election law includes bribery, treating, undue influence, personation, and aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring personation.- English election law :...
, although one was cleared on appeal. He also severely criticised the whole postal vote system, saying, of a Government statement that "the systems already in place to deal with the allegations of electoral fraud are clearly working", that "anybody who has sat through the case I have just tried and listened to evidence of electoral fraud that would disgrace a banana republic
Banana republic
In political science, the pejorative term Banana Republic denotes a politically unstable country dependent upon limited primary productions , which is ruled by a plutocracy, a small, self-elected, wealthy group who exploit the country by means of a politico-economic oligarchy...
would find this statement surprising."
Other recent cases in which Mawrey has sat as Commissioner in election cases include a petition against the result for the Central Borough ward of Slough Borough Council
Slough Borough Council
Slough Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Slough, in the South East England Region of the United Kingdom.This article deals mainly with the unitary authority which was first elected, on a shadow basis, in 1997. It became the local authority for Slough on 1 April 1998...
held on 3 May 2007. In that case he said "I have been appalled ... by the ease with which these substantial frauds were committed", and went on to say that "despite the 2006 [Electoral Administration] Act, the opportunities for easy and effective electoral fraud remain substantially as they were on 4th April 2005."