A BARRISTER who spoke at the Bromsgrove Liberal Democrat Party AGM last month warned members a new law being introduced by the Government was ‘a threat to the right to vote’.
The Conservative Government’s legislation states voter ID would be needed for the local elections in May next year and at any UK Parliamentary election after that date.
As part of the legislation the Electoral Commission is planning an extensive public awareness campaign in the first half of 2023.
The types of ID to be allowed – set out in the Act’s section 5 – include passports, photographic driving licences, biometric immigration documents and some concessionary travel passes.
Sunny Virk is also the prospective parliamentary candidate for Tamworth for the Liberal Democrats who are highlighting the need for voters to have the correct ID to avoid being turned away on polling day.
He accused the Conservatives of ‘eroding civil liberties’.
“This follows the introduction of recent laws criminalising protests that are deemed too noisy, stripping back the powers of courts to hold bodies accountable under judicial review, and an expansion of powers for the Home Secretary to strip away British citizenship without informing the individual in question.”
Bromsgrove Lib Dem Chair Dr David Nicholl said: “This new law will be discriminatory against those groups less likely to have ID, with the potential to disenfranchise up to a million voters.
“For example, student ID will not be acceptable, whereas an older persons bus pass is acceptable.”
