§ Madam SpeakerI have one other duty to perform. It is my duty to report to the House that I have received a communication from the Queen's Bench division of the High Court of Justice, in which two of Her Majesty's judges have informed me of their determination in the matter of the election of a Member for the constituency of Winchester on 1 May last.
The court's determination, reached in accordance with the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 1983, is that: there were breaches by the returning officer's agent of rules 20 and 37, as set out in schedule 1 to the Act; that the result of the election was affected thereby; that Mark Oaten was not duly elected and returned as Member of Parliament for Winchester; and that the election on 1 May 1997 is void.
I shall cause the full text of the court's communication to be recorded in the Journal. The next step is for a writ to be issued for a new election, and I hope that the necessary notice will be brought before the House in the very near future.
We now have a statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.