Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the villagers who Sky Information revealed turned him away from his native polling station when he tried to vote and not using a legitimate photograph ID – below guidelines he launched.
The previous prime minister has mentioned he had tried to solid his poll utilizing {a magazine} sleeve along with his title and tackle on as proof however was prevented from doing so.
The requirement to supply photograph ID was launched by Mr Johnson throughout his time in Downing Road as a part of the Elections Act 2022.
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The transfer was controversial over fears it will bar individuals from voting, significantly amongst deprived teams.
Mr Johnson had been in search of to vote in South Oxfordshire, the place a police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley was being elected.
Writing in his Every day Mail column, he mentioned: “I wish to pay a selected tribute to the three villagers who on Thursday rightly turned me away after I appeared within the polling station with nothing to show my identification besides the sleeve of my copy of Prospect journal, on which my title and tackle had been printed.
“I confirmed it to them they usually regarded very doubtful… inside minutes I used to be again with my driving licence and voted Tory.”
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Thursday’s election is the primary time many citizens in England and Wales have needed to current ID to vote below provisions first rolled out ultimately yr’s native elections.
In addition to driving licences, different acceptable types of ID embody passports, proof of age playing cards, blue badges, and a few concessionary journey playing cards.
The federal government has additionally mentioned it intends to make veterans’ ID playing cards a legitimate type of voter identification after former service personnel have been turned away.
Veterans’ minister Johnny Mercer apologised to those that had been unable to make use of the doc to vote, vowing to “do all I can” to have it added to the listing of legitimate identification.
Labour mentioned the federal government has had years to make sure the cardboard was included, having begun rolling out the scheme in 2019.