VOTER ID PLANS MEAN “VOTER SUPPRESSION”

The Electoral Reform Society has said that compulsory voter ID will potentially leave millions of voters voiceless, with three and a half million voters having no photo ID at all. The most affected by this will be the elderly, ethnic minorities and those who are socially disadvantaged.

I was astonished at the Minister’s response when I highlighted that suppressing voters participation is dangerous and will exclude many from exercising their democratic rights. There is no evidence of wide-scale electoral fraud in the UK, and these proposals will act as a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

This is a dangerous and cynical attempt to influence future elections. If the Tories want to ensure elections are free and fair, they need to tackle key issues threatening our democratic process – such as dark money and dodgy political donations instead of targeting ordinary citizens.