The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that some prisoners should be given the right to vote.

The government has pledged to urgently consider the Strasbourg court's decision on Thursday.

Current legislation bans all inmates from participating in elections.

The judgement came after Briton John Hirst, convicted of manslaughter and serving a life sentence, appealed to the highest bench in the judicial system against what he felt was a breach of his human rights.

A spokesman for the Department for Constitutional Affairs said: "We will give the judgment urgent consideration and bring forward proposals in due course."

But the lord chancellor insisted this did not mean all prisoners would be given the vote.

"I can make it absolutely clear that in relation to convicted prisoners, the result of this is not that every convicted prisoner is in the future going to get the right to vote," Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4's World at One.

"We need to look and see whether there are any categories that should be given the right to vote. This is not a wholesale change, this is simply the court saying 'consider carefully the basis of your law'."

"It could well be that, having considered it, it is a proportionate conclusion that all people who are convicted and sent to prison cannot vote," he added.

Shadow attorney general Dominic Grieve said implementation of the ruling would undermine confidence on both elections and criminal justice.

"Giving prisoners the vote would be ludicrous," he said.

"The courts have ruled that convicted prisoners, many of them dangerous, cannot be allowed to take part in normal society for the duration of their sentence.

"Why therefore should they have a say in how that society is run?

"If convicted rapists and murderers are given the vote it will bring the law into disrepute and many people will see it as making a mockery of justice."

However the decision was "warmly welcomed" by the Liberal Democrats.

"The Liberal Democrats have a longstanding commitment to lift the ban on prisoners voting," home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said.

"Today's ruling is not just about rights. It is about ensuring that prisoners return to their communities as responsible citizens.

"Telling offenders that they have no part to play in our democracy is no way to end the cycle of crime. The government must now move quickly to change the law."