CYNICAL TORY ATTEMPT TO DISENFRANCHISE VOTERS?

I challenged the Tories’ disgraceful attempts to introduce voter ID under the guise of ‘electoral integrity’ in the Elections Bill, which in fact appears to be a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise voters, particularly those who are less likely to vote Tory.

There is very little evidence of election fraud in the UK. Indeed, during the previous general election, only one person was convicted of voter fraud and one person cautioned, which casts a curious light as to why the UK Government feels such legislation is necessary. The evidence we have from around the world is that voter ID creates a barrier between citizens and their right to exercise their democratic right and that would appear to be the intention of this Bill. It is no accident that those demographics most likely to be impacted by this Bill are less likely to vote Tory, with 3.5 million people in the UK not having photographic identification, while 11 million do not have a driving license or passport.

A healthy democracy should seek to encourage voter participation, as we have seen in Scotland with the franchise extended to 16 and 17-year-olds, as well as to foreign nationals with Leave to Remain. Instead, the Tory UK Government appears to favour measures which it knows will suppress voter turnout to try and tilt the balance of future elections in their favour.

Watch my speech below. 👇