UK lawmakers to face stiff punishments for voting violations during hybrid parliament

   LONDON, May 8 -- British lawmakers were warned Friday that they may face stiff punishments if they break remote voting rules in the hybrid House of Commons during the COVID-19 pandemic.
   The House of Commons is currently operating a hybrid system with only a handful of lawmakers in the chamber, while other MPs participate in key Commons proceedings remotely via video links.
   It means politicians can not use the traditional method of voting where they are counted one-by-one as they vote on new laws or other parliamentary measures by walking through a voting lobby.
   The House of Commons Procedure Committee warned on Friday that if the MPs attempt to get others to cast their votes under the remote system they are likely to be severely punished by parliamentary authorities.
   "The remote voting system is not as secure as a system where an MP must vote in a division lobby in person. Until a reliable form of biometric authentication can be introduced over all devices likely to be used for remote voting, the present system is unlikely to be suitable as a permanent replacement for lobby voting," the committee said in a report.
   House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has the power to re-run a vote if system issues have compromised, it said.
   Next week, lawmakers will debate renewing the temporary coronavirus procedures, with a recommendation that any extension should last until June 3.  Xinhua