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Veteran Card to go on ID list as minister apologises to those unable to vote

The card was introduced in January 2024 but has not yet been added to the list of approved ID documents for voting.

Christopher McKeon
Thursday 02 May 2024 14:12 EDT
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer said he would ā€˜do all I canā€™ to ensure the new Veteran Card was made a valid form of voter ID (James Manning/PA)
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer said he would ā€˜do all I canā€™ to ensure the new Veteran Card was made a valid form of voter ID (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

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The Government intends to make veteransā€™ ID cards a valid form of voter identification after former service personnel were turned away from polling stations, Downing Street said.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer apologised to those who had been unable to use their veteransā€™ ID card to vote in the local elections on Thursday, vowing to ā€œdo all I canā€ to have it added to the list of valid identification.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: ā€œIt is our intention for the new Veteran Card, which was rolled out in January, to be added to the official list.ā€

The Government is consulting on adding the card to the list of acceptable voter ID, which already includes armed forces identity cards.

Mr Mercerā€™s apology came after Army veteran Adam Diver complained he had been turned away from his local polling station after presenting his Veteran Card.

Army veteran Mr Diver, 48, had been looking to place his vote in Fleetwood, Lancashire, but was turned away after presenting his card, saying the experience left him feeling ā€œguttedā€.

ā€œI felt clearly deflated, I felt gutted to be fair and upset ā€“ I felt angry at the point,ā€ Mr Diver, who served in the Army for 27 years, told the PA news agency.

ā€œI felt like my time served was invalidated and I just thought to myself, ā€˜what was the point in that?ā€™

ā€œIā€™ve served in pretty much every war going, Iā€™ve spent 27 years away from my family.

ā€œI thought you could use it as an ID card. Itā€™s like a driving licence, you canā€™t get any more official and it didnā€™t strike me one bit that it wouldnā€™t be validated.ā€

In his response, Mr Mercer said: ā€œI am sorry about this.

ā€œThe legislation on acceptable forms of ID came out before the veterans ID cards started coming out in January this year. I will do all I can to change it before the next one.ā€

Labour said the Government has had years to ensure the Veteran Card was included on the list of valid voter ID, having begun rolling out the cards in 2019.

Shadow veterans minister Steve McCabe said: ā€œVeterans turned away from polling stations because they canā€™t use their veterans ID card to vote is a testament to how the Tories like to talk up their support for our forces but are failing to deliver.

ā€œDespite what Johnny Mercer says, the Government has had years to make sure former service personnel could use their veterans ID to vote. It seems the minister is trying to pull the wool over veteransā€™ eyes yet again.ā€

Mr McCabe added that ā€œmultiple problemsā€ had been found with voter ID and called for a ā€œcomprehensive review into this discredited policyā€.

Thursdayā€™s election is the first time many voters in England and Wales have had to present ID to vote under provisions first rolled out at last yearā€™s local elections.

Acceptable forms of ID include a passport, driving licence, Proof of Age Standards Scheme (Pass) cards, Blue Badges, and some concessionary travel cards.

Meanwhile, a Conservative MP has said his dyspraxia caused him to misplace his photo ID, forcing him to arrange an emergency proxy vote for Thursdayā€™s local elections.

Itā€™s all well and good people saying we need to have more neurodiverse Members of Parliament, but having a massive pile-on on them, I donā€™t think itā€™s going to encourage more people

Conservative MP Tom Hunt

Tom Hunt, who represents Ipswich, warned people ā€œpersecutingā€ him online to be ā€œvery careful with their wordsā€, saying it is ā€œwell known that sadly we are slightly more prone to lose thingsā€.

He told PA: ā€œI donā€™t want to blame everything on my dyspraxia but itā€™s a factor in my life I have to deal with.

ā€œItā€™s all well and good people saying we need to have more neurodiverse Members of Parliament, but having a massive pile-on on them, I donā€™t think itā€™s going to encourage more people.ā€

People whose ID has been lost, stolen or damaged can apply for an emergency proxy vote until 5pm on polling day, allowing someone else to vote on their behalf.

Mr Hunt said he had not previously been aware of this provision, but had applied for an emergency proxy vote, saying it is ā€œthe system working wellā€.

A Government spokesperson said: ā€œOur intention is for the new Veteran Card, which was rolled out in January 2024, to be added to the official list of recognised identification ā€“ and we are already consulting on this.

ā€œDefence identity cards for serving Armed Forces members are already accepted.ā€

Downing Street said it had no wider concerns about the operation of the voter ID requirement, adding that only 0.25% of would-be voters had been turned away from polling stations for lacking the correct documents.

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