When Sir George Young first raised the campaign to Save General Election Night at Business Questions, the response from Harriet Harman, the Leader of the House, was a brush-off, saying it was a matter for the Electoral Commission.
At last Thursday's Business Questions, on the back of recent support for Thursday night counts from John Bercow and Nick Brown, Sir George asked Ms Harman again and now she is indicating support for the campaign's principle aim of counting the votes as soon as polling stations close:
Sir George Young: May we have a statement on the election night count? A number of senior figures, including yourself, Mr. Speaker, have said that it would be, in your words, "a travesty" for the count to be delayed by local authorities until the next day. Yesterday, no less a figure than the Government Chief Whip told his local paper that delaying the count would increase the risk of electoral fraud. Is there any doubt that having a Thursday night count is the right thing to do?
Harriet Harman: I have two concerns about election night. The first is that the count should be announced as soon as the people have voted, and the second is that it should be the right result.
Jonathan Isaby