- becky morton
- political reporter
image source, Getty Images
Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson was refused entry to his local polling station after he forgot to bring photo ID.
As first reported by Sky News, he later returned with the necessary identification and was able to vote.
He voted in South Oxfordshire, where voters choose the police and crime commissioner.
New rules requiring people to show a photo ID to vote were introduced by Mr Johnson’s government in the 2022 Elections Act.
The change was implemented last year and will require voters to show ID for the first time in local elections in May 2023.
According to the Electoral Commission, around 14,000 people were unable to vote in last year’s local elections in the UK due to the new rules.
The government also said it intends to make veterans’ ID cards a valid form of identification for voters after some ex-servicemen were refused entry to polling stations.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Johnny Mercer apologized on social media to a man who claimed he could not use his veteran ID card to vote.
“The bill regarding acceptable forms of identification was enacted before Veterans ID cards began being issued in January of this year,” he wrote.
“We will do our best to change things before the next game.”
A No. 10 spokesperson said, “It is our intention that the new veteran cards announced in January be added to the official list.”
The government is discussing adding the card to its list of acceptable voter IDs, which already includes military ID cards.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Tom Hunt said he lost his passport due to mobility issues and had to arrange an emergency proxy vote.
“When you have millions of people voting, there are always going to be a few issues,” Transportation Secretary Mark Harper said when asked about reported problems with voter ID.
But he said he believes “most voters actually think it’s perfectly easy to vote with the required ID anywhere in the country.”
Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary who served as Mr Johnson’s chief whip, was asked about Mr Johnson’s refusal and said on BBC radio: He then simply went home, got his ID, went back to the polling station and voted Conservative. ”
The Board of Elections said that despite the voter ID requirement, “most voters who wished to cast a ballot were able to do so.”
“We will now begin collecting evidence to understand the election experiences of voters, election officials, partner organizations and campaigners and identify potential barriers to participation,” the spokesperson said.
