Contempt for rules is shaking the foundations of British democracy

‘Making it harder to vote limits the number of voices that are heard in an election.’ An Electoral Commission roadside advert in Slough, Berkshire. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Shutterstock

Any competition with a prize worth having attracts cheats. That is as true of politics as it is of sport. Whether cheats prosper depends on a combination of regulation and culture. There must be rules, enforced by independent institutions, but also an ethos of honouring the rules, policed by conscience.

The introduction of mandatory voter ID for local elections in England this week is doubly insidious because it smuggles dishonourable intent in a measure purporting to strengthen the rules.