Voters across the country will have to show identification such as driving licences or passports before casting their ballot, under plans to be unveiled in the Queen's Speech.

Ministers are planning to introduce a legal requirement for voters to produce photographic ID, in order to safeguard against electoral fraud.

A new Electoral Integrity Bill will also limit the number of relatives for whom anyone can act as a proxy, and outlaw the "harvesting" of postal ballots by political parties and activists.

The proposed roll-out of a requirement for photo ID is likely to be opposed by Labour, which claimed that a series of pilot schemes resulted in some people being unable to vote and were a "blatant attempt" to "rig" elections.

However the Government will insist changes are needed to safeguard against fraud and corruption. The proposals draw on the recommendations of a major report by Sir Eric Pickles, the former Conservative Cabinet minister, in 2016, which said there was evidence of voter fraud “especially in communities of Pakistani and Bangladeshi background”. Sir Eric warned of concerns that cases had been ignored because of “over-sensitivities about ethnicity and religion”.

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The report said there was a risk of "significant abuse" of the electoral system if people were able to impersonate others at polling stations with little risk of detection. It also referred to "instances of campaigners asking people to hand over their postal votes" in areas such as Tower Hamlets, in East London.

The Electoral Integrity Bill is expected to roll out a national requirement for voters to produce photographic identification in order to cast their ballot, rather than simply stating their address. Similar measures have been in place in Northern Ireland since 2002.

It will also make it illegal to cast a proxy ballot on behalf of more than two voters, or for political parties to "harvest" postal ballot papers to deliver them to polling stations.

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A Government source said: “A secure electoral system is vital. By changing the law to require voters to show some ID, as they do in many other daily activities, and taking steps to cut down proxy and postal voter fraud, we can ensure that everyone's vote counts and strengthen public trust in our democracy.”

Sources said the required types of ID would be published as part of formal technical proposals. Voters without the required documentation would be able to apply for a free “electoral ID” from their local council.