A Plaid Cymru MS has attacked the Tories for bringing in measures that could deny thousands of people a vote.
Peredur Owen Griffiths was speaking during a Plaid Cymru debate in the Senedd on the Westminster Government’s plan to introduce voter ID for future elections.
There have been warnings that the proposed Election Bill will disenfranchise large swathes of people who do not possess photographic identification.
Peredur told the Senedd: “The supposed rationale behind the Bill, the need to curb voter fraud, is at best extremely ill-advised and unwarranted.
“At worst, it is a blatant attempt to deny a vote to people who perhaps are more likely to vote against the Tories and their policies. Why do I say this Bill is unwarranted?
“In the last eight years, there have been a grand total of three prosecutions for voter fraud across the whole of the UK. I'll repeat that again: three prosecutions in eight years.
“Boris Johnson has had more lockdown-busting parties during the pandemic than that. Perhaps we should instead be bringing forward a Bill that curtails the alleged illegal activities of this rogue Prime Minister.”
He added: “Anyway, as Plaid Cymru spokesperson for older people, I am particularly concerned about the impact this Bill will have on older people.
“Half of those affected will be over 50, with more than one in 25 people over 50 having not having acceptable forms of ID.
“The trend for taking services online also applies to identity cards. Age UK found that, in 2016, more than a quarter of people aged 65 to 74 did not regularly use the internet.
“This rises to almost two thirds of people aged over 75. Digital exclusion amongst older people is a real issue, and now it could see them being deprived of the vote.”
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