• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Politics

PM accused of ‘voter suppression move’ with photo ID plan

Voters will have to show photographic ID when they vote in future, under proposals revealed in the Queen’s Speech.

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2019-10-14 16:39
in Politics
credit;PA

credit;PA

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Boris Johnson has been accused of attempting “voter suppression” by a former Labour Party leader after announcing plans to make photographic ID compulsory when voting.

The Queen’s Speech included plans to tighten rules around voting, with voters needing to show an “approved form of photographic ID” when turning up to polling stations.

But former Labour leader Ed Miliband said the Prime Minister had not offered “any evidence” that there was an issue with the integrity of voting in the UK.

A passport or a driver’s licence featuring a photograph will need to be produced in order to have a say at the next election under the plans being proposed by the Government.

Photo ID to vote without any evidence of a problem such an obvious US voter suppression move…plus in small print of briefing document making people re-apply for postal votes every three years….more bureaucracy to disenfranchise more people, particularly older voters.

— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) October 14, 2019

Ministers said those who do not hold such identification documents will be able to apply for free for a local electoral identity document to avoid losing their vote.

The fine print in the draft Bill also places extra burdens on postal voters, with fresh requirements to reapply every three years to vote by post.

Under current rules, those on the electoral register simply turn up at their local polling station to have their say.

Voters are sent polling cards informing them of the election date and where to go to vote but the card does not have to be handed over in exchange for a ballot paper.

Mr Miliband tweeted: “Photo ID to vote without any evidence of a problem such an obvious US voter suppression move.

RelatedPosts

‘Is it April already?’ Lee Anderson promotion sends social media into a spin

Brexit was a ‘colossal mistake’, former PM Sir John Major tells committee

Lee Anderson made deputy chair of the Conservative Party

Johnson’s hopes of BBC chairman acting as human shield dashed in first minute of Committte hearing

“Plus, in small print of briefing document making people re-apply for postal votes every three years… more bureaucracy to disenfranchise more people, particularly older voters.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the policy was a “blatant attempt by the Tories to rig the result” of the next election, saying that “millions of people” in the UK did “not have access to any photo ID”.

The Electoral Commission said it had found the UK’s voting system was “vulnerable to fraud” in recent studies.

In voter ID pilot schemes run by the commission in 2018 and 2019, less than 1% of eligible voters turned up without their IDs and failed to return, according to a paper published on the findings.

A commission spokesman said: “As we have highlighted, the Government should ensure that any ID requirements set out in the Bill allow for alternatives to photo ID, for those who do not already have this.

“This will ensure voting at polling stations remains accessible. We await further detail of the Government’s proposed Bill.”

But the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) said its research indicated there were only eight allegations of impersonation made out of the millions of votes cast during elections in 2018.

Chief executive Darren Hughes said 3.5 million voters did not have access to photo ID, making them vulnerable to missing out.

“When millions of people lack photo ID, these mooted plans risk raising the drawbridge to huge numbers of marginalised voters – including many elderly and BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) voters,” said Mr Hughes.

The ERS estimated the scheme would cost up to £20 million to enforce per election, adding to the estimated £140 million cost to the taxpayer of an election.

Donald Trump was right: THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED. In his favour.

Content Protection by DMCA.com
Please login to join discussion

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

BlackRock Throgmorton Trust – Separating the wheat from the chaff

Tories dust off patriotism play book to fend off election wipe out

$1 trillion leaves British shores ahead of Brexit D-day

Tory MP forgot declaration of £400,000…but remembered 49p claim for milk

Gina Miller: tactical voting only way to stop ‘autocratic Tory power grab’ on December 12

Coronavirus – People with blood type A may be more vulnerable to Covid-19, study claims

The Vaccines set to headline Goose Island LDN Block Party

People are doing DIY haircuts during isolation & results are hilarious

Qantas gears up for historic non-stop flight connecting UK and Australia

Blank Space no more: New Horizons makes it to Pluto

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.