Boris Johnson has stated he attempted to significance a album about politics as voter ID when he grew to become as much as the polls this life.
Mr Johnson were seeking to solid his vote within the native elections in South Oxfordshire on Thursday however fell foul of law he presented himself as high minister.
Personnel to start with grew to become the previous Conservative Birthday celebration chief away as a result of he may now not build a right kind voter ID.
Writing for the Day-to-day Mail nearest the incident, Mr Johnson claims he tried to significance a booklet of Anticipation album as a mode of identity.
“I want to pay a particular tribute to the three villagers who on Thursday rightly turned me away when I appeared in the polling station with nothing to prove my identity except the sleeve of my copy of Prospect magazine, on which my name and address had been printed,” he stated. “I showed it to them and they looked very dubious … within minutes I was back with my driving licence and voted Tory.”
Electorate were required in order photographic identity for positive elections in the United Kingdom since Would possibly 2023.
Anticipation essayist Alan Rusbridger tweeted that he used to be “delighted” by way of Mr Johnson’s backup for the album however reminded readers of its obstacles as evidence of id.
“Warning to potential subscribers: the magazine is miraculous in many ways, but may not be used as photo ID,” the previous Mother or father essayist posted on Twitter/X.
When introducing the law In 2021, upcoming high minister Mr Johnson stated: “What we want to do is protect democracy, the transparency and the integrity of the electoral process. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask first-time voters to produce some evidence of identity.”
Underneath Mr Johnson’s law, ministers argued the exchange used to be required to shed electoral fraud.
Critics of the voter ID laws have identified that circumstances of electoral fraud are uncommon in the United Kingdom. The fresh information from the Electoral Fee presentations that, between 2018 and 2022, most effective 11 of the 1,386 alleged circumstances of electoral fraud ended in convictions.
There also are considerations that voter ID rules can disproportionately impact marginalised communities’ talent to vote.
