Tory voter ID plans are “clearly discriminatory”, says Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn has described government plans to introduce compulsory voter ID as “clearly discriminatory” and “a blatant attempt by the Tories to suppress voters, deny people their democratic rights and rig the result of the next general election”.

Ahead of a visit on Tuesday to the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, the Labour leader said: “The people that the Tories are trying to stop voting will be disproportionately from ethnic minority backgrounds, and they will disproportionately be working class voters of all ethnicities.

“We will not allow the Tories to shut down our democracy and shut ethnic minority voters out of our democracy by making it harder for people to vote. Rather than suppress voters, Labour will ensure that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are at the heart of our democracy.”

The Queen’s Speech delivered in the House of Lords on Monday morning confirmed that measures would be brought forward to tackle electoral fraud, including a new requirement to show photo ID before being allowed to vote in general and local elections.

In the Labour leader’s response to the speech, he promised that his party would “not allow this government to stifle democracy” through voter suppression laws.  “11 million in this country don’t have a passport or driving licence,” Corbyn pointed out in the Commons.

In July, Labour highlighted that over 1,100 were denied a vote in 2018 and 2019 as a result of the Conservatives’ voter ID pilot schemes, which was considered a success by the government.

The Electoral Commission published an evaluation of the schemes. It found that Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) respondents were less likely to say that producing ID would be easy compared to white voters.

Feedback from organisations such as LGBT Foundation and United Response showed that there were concerns over compulsory ID creating further barriers for people from oppressed groups, those with learning disabilities and young homeless individuals in particular.

It has been argued that there is no real need for people to show ID at polling stations because there was only one conviction of in-person voter fraud in 2017 – out of over 44 million votes cast that year.

In the run-up to his visit to the Black Cultural Archives, where he will be accompanied by Labour’s equalities spokesperson Dawn Butler, Corbyn has also called attention to the importance of Black History Month.

The Labour leader said: “Black history is British history, and it must not be limited to one month each year. I would like to pay tribute to the Black Cultural Archives for the work that they do preserving, celebrating and educating people about the history of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain.

“It is vital that we build on the successes of Black History Month and develop a more inclusive understanding of our shared history. That is why the next Labour government will ensure that future generations understand the role that Black Britons have played in our country’s history, as well as the legacy of the British Empire, colonisation, slavery and the struggle for emancipation.”