Boris Johnson turned away from polling station after forgetting ID

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was connected Thursday turned distant from a polling presumption aft forgetting to bring a photograph ID.
The PA quality bureau understands Mr Johnson was told by polling presumption unit helium would not beryllium capable to ballot without proving his identity.

The request to supply a photograph ID was introduced by Mr Johnson during his clip successful Downing Street arsenic portion of the Elections Act 2022.

It is understood Mr Johnson was aboriginal capable to vote, and that helium voted Conservative.

Thursday’s predetermination is the archetypal clip galore voters successful England and Wales person had to contiguous ID to ballot nether provisions archetypal rolled retired astatine past year’s section elections.

Acceptable forms of ID see a passport, driving licence, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (Pass) cards, Blue Badges, and immoderate concessionary question cards.

The authorities has besides said it intends to marque veterans’ ID cards a valid signifier of elector recognition aft erstwhile work unit were turned distant from polling stations.

Veterans curate Johnny Mercer apologised to those incapable to usage their veterans’ ID paper to ballot successful the section elections connected Thursday, vowing to “do each I can” to person it added to the database of valid identification.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “It is our volition for the caller Veteran Card, which was rolled retired successful January, to beryllium added to the authoritative list.”

The authorities is consulting connected adding the paper to the database of acceptable elector IDs, which already includes equipped forces individuality cards.

Mr Mercer’s apology came aft Army seasoned Adam Diver complained helium had been turned distant from his section polling presumption aft presenting his Veteran Card.

Mr Diver, 48, had been looking to spot his ballot successful Fleetwood, Lancashire, but was turned distant aft presenting his card, saying the acquisition near him feeling “gutted”.

“I felt intelligibly deflated, I felt gutted to beryllium just and upset – I felt aggravated astatine the point,” Mr Diver, who served successful the Army for 27 years, told the PA quality agency.

“I felt similar my clip served was invalidated and I conscionable thought to myself, ‘What was the constituent successful that?’

“I’ve served successful beauteous overmuch each warfare going; I’ve spent 27 years distant from my family.

“I thought you could usage it arsenic an ID card. It’s similar a driving licence, you can’t get immoderate much authoritative and it didn’t onslaught maine 1 spot that it wouldn’t beryllium validated.”

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Labour said the authorities has had years to guarantee the Veteran Card was included connected the database of valid elector ID, having begun rolling retired the cards successful 2019.

Downing Street said it had nary wider concerns astir the cognition of the elector ID requirement, adding that lone 0.25 per cent of would-be voters had been turned distant from polling stations for lacking the close documents.

(dpa/NAN)