Mark Drakeford says voter ID will not be introduced for Senedd and Welsh council elections

The First Minister's comments come after some voters were turned away from polling stations in England's local council elections for not having the correct ID.

Tomos Evans

Wales reporter

Tuesday 9 May 2023 18:34, UK

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Voter ID will not be introduced for local elections in Wales, the First Minister has confirmed.

Mark Drakeford accused the UK government of having a "voter suppression agenda".

The UK government said the voter ID scheme, which was introduced ahead of last week's local elections in England, is in place to ensure "democracy remains secure".

Mr Drakeford's response in the Senedd on Tuesday came after reports of people being turned away at the local elections in England last week as they did not have the correct ID.

"Let me give the member for Bridgend a categorical assurance that we will not be pursuing that course of action here in Wales," he told Labour backbencher Sarah Murphy.

The responsibility for local council elections and Senedd elections is generally devolved to Cardiff Bay, while General Elections continue to be within Westminster's remit.

"Our policies are designed to make it easier for people to cast their vote, not more difficult," he added.

"This is a solution in search of a problem. The problem doesn't exist, the problem that's being created is that people who wish to participate in the democratic process are being denied that right and we will not collude in that in Wales."

Welsh Conservative shadow minister, Darren Millar, said that he was "baffled" by the Welsh government's position on voter ID.

"This is about the security and integrity of our elections," he said.

"We know that across the whole of western Europe voter ID is the norm and in most western democracies it is the norm, but it seems that you have an issue with it."

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: "It's vital we keep our democracy secure, prevent the potential for voter fraud, and bring the rest of the UK in line with Northern Ireland which has had photo identification to vote in elections since 2003.

"This follows successful pilots in 2018 and 2019, including in Woking where over 99% of people were able to successfully cast their vote.

"Following local elections in May, it is essential that we understand how voter identification has operated in practice.

"Extensive analysis of the data collected from polls is now being undertaken by the Electoral Commission and the government, with final reports set to be published later this year."

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