Cat Smith MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement, responding to news of voters being turned away from polling stations in various voter ID pilot areas, said:

“The Government was warned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and over 40 leading charities and academics the voter ID will have a disproportionate impact on older people, young people, BME communities, trans people, and disabled people.

“This was always going to be a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The Electoral Commission found that out of nearly 45 million votes cast in the local and general election in 2017, there were only 28 cases of alleged voter fraud. That’s less than 0.00007% or one case for every 1.6 million votes cast. And out of those 28 cases, there was only one conviction.

“But instead of listening to the experts and the vast evidence base, the Government decided to implement a mistaken policy with the full knowledge that voters could be disenfranchised.

“The fact that voters were denied their right to vote is proof that voter ID has no place in our democracy.”