The upcoming general election will be the first to require photographic identification for voters. Without it you won’t be able to vote. A full list of legally acceptable ID is here.

As Labour Hub has pointed out before, voter ID has never been a problem in Britain – convictions for voter fraud by individual voters is very rare – so the new rules look like a form of voter suppression, aimed at particularly hitting poorer and younger people. For example, a pensioner’s bus pass is a legitimate form of ID, but not a Young Person’s railcard.

In 2021, government-commissioned research found that those with limiting disabilities, the unemployed, people without qualifications, and those who had never voted before were among the least likely to hold a valid form of photo ID. Further research presented to the House of Commons found that the changes may result in 1.1 million fewer people voting in the next general election.

When the new restrictions were being prepared, there were accusations that the government misled MPs after a minister cited ‘data’ to prove that the new system would not discriminate against BAME voters. The data in question turned out not to exist.

The pressure group Liberty described the new requirement as  “an opportunistic attack on the rights of some of the most marginalised people in society,” adding that it was  a “classic example of ruling through division and distrust.”

Last month, mayors including Sadiq Khan in London, Tracy Brabin in West Yorkshire and Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester denounced the  change as a “brazen assault on our democracy”.

While the official statistics from the Electoral Commission on how many people were turned away at this month’s local elections will not be available for some months yet, the Electoral Reform Society is aware of multiple cases of people being unable to vote. Citizens with dual nationality in particular faced difficulties and often polling staff were not fully aware of all the acceptable forms of identification.

Labour’s Shadow Democracy minister Florence Eshalomi MP says that “there are serious concerns that photo voter ID could lead to injustice and discrimination.”

Yet shamefully, Labour has no plans to repeal this iniquitous and partisan piece of legislation. Asked today, Starmer declined to commit to a change in the law, suggesting it was not a priority.

A Momentum spokesperson said: “Time and again Labour have rightly condemned the Tories’ blatant attempt at voter suppression. Voter ID costs hundreds of millions, so money’s no excuse. Why won’t the leadership commit to scrap it?”

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