Photo ID laws which have stopped thousands of registered voters from casting their ballots in recent elections will be “evaluated” and could even be scrapped entirely, the new Government has revealed.
The requirement for people to show ID before voting was introduced by the previous Tory Government in 2022 “to strengthen the integrity of the electoral system”.
Labour did not promise in its manifesto to repeal the law and instead only pledged to “address the inconsistencies” around which forms of ID are acceptable.
But the Government has now said it will “conduct a thorough evaluation” of the law and has refused to rule out removing the requirement completely.
It comes as data reveals that of those who were turned away at polling stations during the London mayoral election due to lack of ID, around three in 10 did not come back later to cast their ballots.
Responding to the statistic - sourced through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to London’s councils - a spokesman at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “These findings are incredibly concerning.
“This Government is committed to strengthening our democracy and making sure every legitimate voter can exercise their democratic right to vote.
“That’s why we will conduct a thorough evaluation of voter ID rules, to understand how they impacted voters, before bringing forward firm proposals in due course.”
Government sources said ministers intend to “make amendments” to the voter ID requirements, to improve their effectiveness and to address “any inconsistencies” in the policy. One such inconsistency cited in Labour’s manifesto was the example of HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards not being recognised as a valid form of photo ID at elections.
But they did not rule out repealing the law in its entirety, saying that no decision would be taken prior to the evaluation.
The FOI data on Londoners turned away in May’s local elections was sourced by London Assembly’s Labour group. Twenty-five out of 33 London councils responded to the group’s FOI requests, with a total of 5,065 Londoners said to have been turned away at polling stations in those boroughs due to lack of acceptable ID.
Of that number, some 3,629 Londoners came back later to cast their votes, but 1,426 - comprising about 28 per cent of the total - did not return.
The ‘non-return’ rate varies between boroughs, with as many as 40 per cent of those turned away in Redbridge not coming back, but as few as 10 per cent in Westminster.
The figures do not cover those who did not attempt to vote in the first place due to the ID requirement.
Assembly member Len Duvall, Labour group leader at City Hall, said: “It is extremely worrying that so many Londoners were disenfranchised because of the previous Government’s photo ID rules.
“Our democratic rights are precious. Sadly, the last Government’s voter ID rules are getting in the way of Londoners having their voice heard.
“Make no mistake: these rules were brought in because the last Government thought it would keep away those people less likely to vote for them. I urge Londoners to find photo ID or get a Voter Authority Certificate ahead of the 2026 local elections in our city so that they can have their say.”
The Conservative Government denied claims that the move was an attempt to deter particular voters from casting their ballots, saying in 2023 that it had introduced the measure “to strengthen the integrity of the electoral system and ensure that elections remain secure, fair, modern and transparent.”
The use of voter ID in UK elections has been recommended by the non-partisan Electoral Commission since 2014. The watchdog admitted “that fraud is not widespread in the UK but, despite this, a significant proportion of the public remain concerned that it is taking place”, and an ID requirement would therefore help maintain “confidence in the electoral system”.
The Commission has acknowledged however that “some groups are more likely to experience barriers created by the voter ID requirement and may need support to access photo ID”.
