Two political parties are on the point of taking legal action against the Government in a bid to have all postal voting in Britain suspended.

The legal move by Respect and the People's Justice Party follows widespread accusations of fraud in postal ballots trialled during the European elections.

Vulnerable voters were bullied on the doorstep to vote in a certain way, and ballot papers were collected up by canvassers and either filled in by party activists or altered, electoral commissioners in Birmingham were told.

Respect says that the Government has done nothing to prevent similar abuses happening during the general election. The parties have consulted legal counsel and have written to the Department for Constitutional Affairs setting out their concerns.

If the DCA writes back declining to take action, the two parties say that they will apply for an injunction on human rights grounds, saying that the free and fair elections are impossible under the current system.

"This election in our view is significantly flawed by the postal voting issue," said John Rees, the national secretary of Respect.

"There are 39 current or pending cases of postal vote fraud being investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service.

"We have engaged a solicitor who is taking counsel's opinion, and we intend to launch legal action under the Human Rights Act to have postal voting suspended in this country."

Postal voting has become much more widespread since 2001, when laws which restricted the option to overseas workers and people confined to their homes, were relaxed.

Five years ago only 2 per cent of the population voted by post, but in the current election this is due to rise to 15 per cent, or four million people.

Mr Rees accused both Labour and the Conservatives of using questionable tactics in the current election campaign.

He said that in Bethnal Green and Bow, where George Galloway, the leader of Respect, is standing, the Labour candidate Oona King had sent out blank postal ballot application forms.

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