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.

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Your support makes all the difference.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 ādo all I canā to have it added to the list of valid identification.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: āIt 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 Mercerās 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 āguttedā.
āI 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.
āI felt like my time served was invalidated and I just thought to myself, āwhat was the point in that?ā
āIāve served in pretty much every war going, Iāve spent 27 years away from my family.
āI thought you could use it as an ID card. Itās like a driving licence, you canāt get any more official and it didnāt strike me one bit that it wouldnāt be validated.ā
In his response, Mr Mercer said: āI am sorry about this.
āThe 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: āVeterans turned away from polling stations because they canāt 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.
āDespite 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 āmultiple problemsā had been found with voter ID and called for a ācomprehensive review into this discredited policyā.
Thursdayās 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 yearās 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 Thursdayās local elections.
Itās all well and good people saying we need to have more neurodiverse Members of Parliament, but having a massive pile-on on them, I donāt think itās going to encourage more people
Tom Hunt, who represents Ipswich, warned people āpersecutingā him online to be āvery careful with their wordsā, saying it is āwell known that sadly we are slightly more prone to lose thingsā.
He told PA: āI donāt want to blame everything on my dyspraxia but itās a factor in my life I have to deal with.
āItās all well and good people saying we need to have more neurodiverse Members of Parliament, but having a massive pile-on on them, I donāt think itās 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 āthe system working wellā.
A Government spokesperson said: āOur 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.
āDefence 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.