John Swinney blames Rishi Sunak for postal votes scandal leaving some Scots without ballots

John Swinney has blamed Rishi Sunak's decision to call an election during the Scottish school holidays for the postal votes scandal that has left some Scots unable to have their say.

The First Minister has demanded a review over the timing of elections and the issuing of postal ballots to ensure there is no repeat of the fiasco.

In a letter to the embattled Tory PM, the SNP leader said: "It should have been clear to you at the time you called this general election that July 4 with just six weeks' notice could cause issues".

Stephen Flynn has also slammed the postal vote system as "simply not good enough" as hundreds of Scots face being unable to have their say at the general election tomorrow.

The timing of the election during the first week of the school summer holidays in Scotland meant there was increased demand for postal votes.

But many Scots have since flown abroad for long-planned breaks without being able to cast their votes.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman previously said Rishi Sunak was not concerned that some people could be disenfranchised by the issues.

"We’re working closely with the Electoral Commission, returning officers, Royal Mail and the print suppliers to support the resolution of these issues,” he said.

But Swinney challenged Sunak on this explanation. In his letter, he said: "The problem has been caused by a combination of your selection of an unsuitable date for the General Election, and the timetable for UK Parliament elections, which has little room in it to address issues arising, such as the reported delays at the printers.

"In this case, the deadline for applying for a new postal vote being on June 19 meant that some postal packs had to be issued at a time when some Scottish schools were already on holiday.

"As well as establishing the facts about what happened during this election, a review into both the timetable for UK Parliament elections and how decisions are made about their timing needs to be held urgently after the General Election.

"There may be little that can be done now for some voters to secure their ability to vote in this election, but it would give them some confidence in the UK electoral system and our democracy to know in advance of the election that such a review was planned."

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here