Jonathan Isaby deserves congratulations for his considerable role in Saving General Election Night

Last night a move by Jack Straw seemed to guarantee that the traditional General Election Night will be protected.

Many people deserve credit for the cross-party effort to 'Save General Election Night' but special acknowledgment must go to my colleague Jonathan Isaby who started an online campaign (here) to protect the traditional drama of one of the key elements of the most important event in our national democracy. Tory Chairman Eric Pickles clearly agrees and issued this statement:

"This is a great victory common sense and the voting public.  I applaud Jonathan and Conservativehome for the tenacious the way they have supported the cross party campaign.  Given the massive cross-party support for saving general election night, it is vital that any clarified law does not fall because of disputes over more controversial aspects of the Bill. Subject to the the will of Parliament, the Electoral Commission should now take urgent steps to issue new guidance to Electoral Returning Officers to prepare for overnight counts.”

Jonathan's own reaction to the victory and his tributes to the individuals who backed the campaign can be read at the bottom of this Parliament post.

Tim Montgomerie