London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans

Millions in UK face disenfranchisement under voter ID plans

Labour says bill to be published on Monday is tantamount to US Republican-style ‘voter suppression’
Millions of voters could be disenfranchised under “discriminatory” plans due to be unveiled on Monday that will force people to carry identification to cast a ballot, Labour has warned.

Ahead of the introduction of the elections bill to parliament, the shadow democracy minister, Cat Smith, said the sweeping changes were tantamount to US Republican-style “voter suppression”.

The government made the policy one of its flagship announcements in this year’s Queen’s speech, and claimed the overhaul would make elections more secure by cracking down on in-person voter fraud. It also wants to limit the number of postal votes that a person can hand in on behalf of others.

Various pilots of voter ID, ranging from people simply having to present polling cards to mandatory photo documents such as passports or driving licences, took place in a series of English council districts at local elections in 2018 and 2019, with 1,159 voters turned away at the polling station.

Critics say a national requirement for all voters to carry identification will cost the taxpayer about £40m over the next decade, and pointed to a Cabinet Office-commissioned study released in May that found more than 2 million voters could lack the necessary ID to take part in future elections.

The prevalence of voter fraud has also been downplayed by the Electoral Commission, which said the UK had “low levels of proven electoral fraud”. In 2019, there was just one conviction and one police caution for impersonating another voter.

UK-wide and English elections would be affected by the change. Voters in Northern Ireland are already required to show identification before voting. Details of what forms of identification are acceptable will be revealed when the bill is published.

Smith accused Conservative ministers of “using the cover of the pandemic to rig democracy in their favour”, calling it “yet another example of the Conservatives bending the rules to benefit themselves”.

She said it was a “total waste of taxpayers’ money” and contrasted the cost with the government’s decision to award NHS staff only a 1% pay rise.

“It doesn’t matter how the government tries to dress it up, these plans will make it harder for working-class, older and black, Asian and minority ethnic Britons to vote,” Smith said. “They know this is the case because their own research shows that millions of our fellow citizens lack photo ID in this country.”

The Electoral Reform Society said the plans could lead to “disenfranchisement on an industrial scale”.

The Cabinet Office said “everyone eligible to vote will be able to do so” and that voter cards would be issued free to those who needed it to prove their identity. It also highlighted plans to make it easier for British citizens who have moved abroad to vote in elections.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×