Sir Keir Starmer has said he is concerned by the impact of mandatory voter ID and is thinking of reviewing it if he gets into government.Â
Speaking to Sky News ahead of tonight’s deadline to register to vote in the general election, he said the policy may have some flaws.
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The Labour leader told Sky News: “I think we need to review and look at the ID rules. I am concerned about the impact. I won’t shy away from that.
“But my message today is remember your ID when you go to vote this time round because it’s so important that people who want change do vote for change.”
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Under rules introduced by the Conservatives in 2022, people eligible to vote have to produce some form of photo ID to cast their ballots.
This general election is the first time photo ID is required everywhere nationally. Previous by-elections, local elections, and police and crime commissioner elections have required ID before.
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The changes were brought in to stamp out what the Conservative government claimed could potentially lead to high levels of voter fraud.
But the Electoral Commission said the number of offences has been minimal and instead, there was a risk the policy could put people off voting.
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The Commission found 14,000 people were turned away during May’s local elections for not having a required form of ID – including Boris Johnson who introduced the requirement.
Of particular concern to campaigners is the risk of disproportionality to the policy.
According to the elections watchdog’s research, poorer people, disabled people and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by the rules and may not have as much access to voting as the wider population.
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The Lib Dems have promised to scrap the policy in their manifesto and Sir Keir today has made his strongest signal yet the policy may be scrapped under a Labour government.
The current government’s assessment of the cost of introducing the voter ID policy put the total as high as £120m over a decade.
A former cabinet minister who pushed the bill through parliament claimed the policy did not work.
Jacob Rees-Mogg said the plan had backfired on the Conservatives because many older people were the ones most often caught without the correct ID.
