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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Ashley Cowburn

Tories plan to force ID checks for postal and proxy votes in future elections

Rishi Sunak's Tory Government is facing accusations of "gerrymandering" with plans to introduce ID checks for postal and proxy votes for future elections.

Despite calls to suspend the controversial in-person voter ID policy - after thousands were turned away at the May election - the Government has announced new measures.

In an update on Tuesday, ministers said that to "further strengthen the security of the ballot" and ID checks will be introduced for all applications for an absent vote.

It will apply to both paper and online applications and will come into force with a new requirement to re-apply for a postal vote every three years instead of five.

Plans were first announced in 2022 - but to little fanfare.

Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison added: "Transitional processes will be in place for electors with existing postal or proxy vote arrangements".

The Government is already facing calls to suspend in-person voter ID checks (PA)

But in response the Labour MP Christian Wakeford said: "This is gerrymandering, it is as simple as that".

Liberal Democrat communities spokeswoman Helen Morgan MP said: "This is yet another outrageous attempt to restrict the right to vote.

"It seems the Conversatives haven't learn any lessons from the damaging impact of voter ID at the local elections."

The announcement comes just days after the ex-Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg appeared to describe the law forcing people to show ID in-person at the ballot box as an attempt at gerrymandering that backfired to suppress the Tory vote.

While there is no final tally, thousands of people lacking the correct ID are now known to have been turned away from the ballot box at the May local elections.

But speaking last week during his visit to Japan, Mr Sunak defended the controversial ID policy as "entirely reasonable".

Mr Sunak said "tonnes of other countries" in Europe already have the law while the rules have been in place in Northern Ireland since 2003.

He added: "Those are all facts that make me think it is an entirely reasonable thing to do in line with lots of countries including Northern Ireland, which the Labour government did.

"Also I think it is entirely reasonable that there is integrity in our voting system. That's my general view on that".

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