Voter ID: government’s new election photo ID rules amount to ‘gerrymandering’, Jacob Rees-Mogg claims

Former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has described the requirement for people to show ID to vote in elections as “gerrymandering” - despite staunchly defending the policy when the government he was part of introduced it.

MPs approved the changes last year, and they were brought in for the first time at this month’s local elections in England - with voters needing to prove their identity with a document bearing their photo (like a passport or driving licence) before they were given their ballot paper.

During the elections, NationalWorld reported that elderly and younger voters were turned away due to having incorrect ID, while councils have begun to publish data which shows hundreds of people in local authorities were unable to vote.

What did Rees-Mogg say?

Addressing the National Conservatism conference in London today (May 15), in a speech briefly interrupted by a protester, Rees-Mogg suggested the policy had backfired on the Tories - as he discussed proposals by Labour that could see the vote expanded to EU nationals who’d paid tax in the UK for some time and 16-year-olds.

He said: “Parties that try and gerrymander end up finding their clever scheme comes back to bite them, as dare I say we found by insisting on voter ID for elections. We found the people who didn’t have ID were elderly and they by and large voted Conservative, so we made it hard for our own voters and we upset a system that worked perfectly well.”

Labour has confirmed it’s exploring the idea of allowing EU nationals who’ve worked for years in the UK to vote - but says it’s not yet party policy.

What has Rees-Mogg said before?

In May 2021, when he was Leader of the House of Commons, Rees-Mogg defended the introduction of voter ID - comparing it with a ban on MPs wearing overcoats and hats when they vote in Parliament.

He said: “Before personation becomes a risk it is only reasonable to ask people to turn up with their photographic identification or get it from their local council so they can vote. We have confidence in our voters. We think our voters will not find it unduly onerous or taxing to turn up with an identity document of some kind.”

Why was voter ID introduced?

The government brought in mandatory voter ID to try to reduce fraud at elections - despite campaign groups telling NationalWorld that it could make it more difficult for marginalised groups to take part in the democratic process.

Analysis by the equality think tank the Runnymede Trust in 2021 found that while more than three-quarters of white people held a full driving licence, 38% of Asian people and 48% of black people did not.

The Electoral Commission also says there is “no evidence” of election fraud on a large scale in the UK. Since 2018, 1,386 alleged cases of fraud have been reported to the police. Just nine led to a conviction.

After the local elections, the Commission reported that people faced “challenges” casting their vote - with some turned away because they didn’t have acceptable ID. It’s investigating the impact of the changes - with input from polling station staff, election observers and political parties - and an initial report is due next month.