Labour hits out at ‘cynical and ugly’ voter ID plans ahead of Queen’s Speech | Politics News

Labour has hit out at “cynical and ugly” plans to require voters to offer proof of identification when casting a poll.

A quantity of measures to sort out voting fraud are anticipated to be launched by the federal government in Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech, together with on voter ID.

In the mean time, individuals solely should stroll right into a polling station and give their identify and deal with to vote.

Labour’s shadow justice secretary David Lammy has criticised the plans to require individuals to offer identification sooner or later.

He mentioned: “Within the 2019 election, there was only one conviction for voter fraud. 3.5 million British residents do not need a photograph ID.

“It is a cynical and ugly try and rig the system to disempower the poorest and most marginalised teams.”

Chloe Smith, minister for the structure and devolution, mentioned the laws was designed to “stamp out” fraud.

“Stealing somebody’s vote is stealing their voice. Fraud, and the intent to intimidate or coerce a voter, are crimes,” she mentioned.

“So this authorities is stamping out the area for such injury to happen in our elections.”

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Voter ID pilots have been held lately, together with at native elections in 2019.

The Electoral Fee mentioned that within the areas that took half, the proportion of individuals who initially didn’t carry the precise identification and then didn’t return ranged from 0.03% of all polling station voters in a single council space to 0.7% in two different areas.

The fee mentioned that it couldn’t “draw definitive conclusions” from the pilots “about how an ID requirement would work in apply, significantly at a nationwide ballot with larger ranges of turnout or in areas with completely different socio-demographic profiles not absolutely represented within the pilot scheme”.

It added: “If the coverage is to be developed additional, authorities and parliament ought to take into account rigorously the accessible proof concerning the impression of completely different approaches on the accessibility and safety of polling station voting in Nice Britain.

“This could embrace proof from the expertise of polling station voters in Northern Eire, who’ve been required to indicate ID since 1985 (together with requiring photograph ID since 2003), in addition to the proof from the native pilot schemes in each 2018 and 2019.”

In addition to introducing voter ID, the federal government will tighten the foundations round absent voting and voter intimidation.

A ban on postal vote harvesting shall be launched, limiting the quantity of votes an individual can hand in at a polling station on behalf of others.

Voter intimidation shall be listed as a kind of undue affect in regulation, in a bid to cease individuals from being coerced into giving up management over their vote.

Different measures set to be included within the Queen’s Speech are:

– A Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Invoice to offer police in England and Wales extra powers to curtail protests

– An Surroundings Invoice to set new, legally-binding local weather targets ahead of the Cop26 local weather change summit in Glasgow later this 12 months.

– Proposals to reform grownup social care might also be set out. Michael Gove mentioned at the weekend {that a} plan shall be “heading for the statute books” by the top of the 12 months.

– A Well being and Care Invoice to implement deliberate adjustments to construction of the NHS in England.

– In a bid to spice up housebuilding, a planning invoice will calm down controls in England.

– A Sovereign Borders Invoice will overhaul the asylum system to strive and deter migrants from crossing the Channel.

– Ministers have mentioned they may repeal the Fastened-term Parliaments Act launched beneath David Cameron and carry again the prerogative energy to name early elections.

– A Constructing Security Invoice will introduce a brand new regime of security laws and inspections for buildings beneath development within the aftermath of the 2017 Grenfell Tower hearth.

– Laws to restrict future prosecutions of British troopers who served throughout the Troubles in Northern Eire is anticipated. In line with stories, it might additionally cowl paramilitaries.