Serving inmates cannot currently vote MPs are to debate whether serving prisoners should get the right to take part in UK elections.
The government has said some inmates should get the vote following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.
But some Conservative MPs are expected to reject the plans, following a debate brought by former Labour Home Secretary Jack Straw and senior Tory David Davis.
The House of Commons's decision will not be binding.
The cabinet and shadow cabinet have been told to abstain in the vote, while backbench MPs and the rest of Labour's front bench will have a free vote.
On Wednesday Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said it was "nonsense" to suggest that murderers and rapists were going to be given the vote, also rejecting calls for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights over the issue.
The government has been warned it must allow some prison inmates to vote to comply with a 2005 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.
David Cameron told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions: "I don't see any reason why prisoners should get the vote.
"This is not a situation I want this country to be in, and I am sure that you will have a lively debate on Thursday when the House of Commons will make its views known."
The prime minister has said he feels "physically ill" at the thought of granting convicted criminals the right to vote but he had to abide by the European Court's 2005 ruling.
Some Conservative MPs have reacted angrily to the prime minister's stance.
Attorney General Dominic Grieve will lead the debate for the government in the Commons.
He will set out the legal position, rather than arguing for the coalition's position that the vote should be given to the "absolute minimum" number of inmates.
A a report by a committee of MPs says that the UK would be breaking international law if it did not grant some prisoners the vote and could face compensation claims.
At present, in the UK, only prisoners on remand are allowed to vote.
In 2005, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that blanket ban unlawful, and in June, the Council of Europe, which enforces the court's decrees, urged the coalition to rectify the situation.
The government says it has been advised that unless the law is changed it could face compensation claims from prisoners costing well over £100m.
The voting rights of prisoners is a UK-wide issue and will affect Scotland and Northern Ireland, even though the administration of justice is devolved.
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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-12409426
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