JEREMY Corbyn has been blasted for whipping up a race row after he said plans to introduce voter ID would “suppress” minority voters.
Boris Johnson is bringing in a new law to introduce ID checks at polling stations to fight electoral fraud.
But in an astonishing attack, the Labour boss raged: “These plans are clearly discriminatory and a blatant attempt by the Tories to suppress voters, deny people their democratic rights and rig the result of the next general election.
“The people that the Tories are trying to stop voting will be disproportionately from ethnic minority backgrounds, and they will disproportionately be working class voters of all ethnicities.”
The astonishing broadside sparked uproar among Tory politicians who savaged Mr Corbyn’s “patronising” views.
Shaun Bailey, Tory candidate for Mayor of London, said: “This is a crude attempt by Jeremy Corbyn to play identity politics and fuel a race row.
“You need ID to buy alcohol, leave the country, open a bank account and even something as mundane as picking up parcels from the post office.
“Of course it is OK to ask for ID in order to vote in elections. This is yet another example of an out of touch and patronising Labour Party.”
He added: “Are they seriously suggesting that people of colour are incapable of securing ID? As a black person myself, I think much more highly of our BAME communities.”
Britain has been rocked by electoral fraud allegations in recent years.
Lutfur Rahman was booted out as mayor of East London borough Tower Hamlets in 2015 after being found guilty of corrupt and illegal practices.
The following year, ex Cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles warned that vote rigging in Muslim communities has gone unchallenged because “politically correct” police are scared of causing offence.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) have called for the UK to introduce voter ID.
Northern Ireland has required voters to show a picture ID since 2003. The new law will not be introduced in time for a snap election.
James Cleverly MP, chairman of the Tory Party, said: “Jeremy Corbyn is yet again sowing the seeds of division. If anything tougher checks against electoral fraud will protect the democratic rights of all communities.
“Jeremy Corbyn will not protect our electoral system from fraud and abuse. His idea of voter fairness is appointing a criminal convicted of voter fraud as his campaign chief.”
