Boris Johnson stands accused of targeting the rights of BAME and working class people over plans to force everyone to produce photo ID in order to vote.
Jeremy Corbyn has said controversial reforms to electoral law, outlined in the Queen’s speech on Monday, are “clearly discriminatory” towards minority groups and a “blatant” attempt to “rig the result of the next general election”.
Ministers claim the measure is aimed at stamping out electoral fraud but campaigners point out there is no evidence of large-scale voting fraud.
Tory chairman James Cleverly hit back at the Labour claims, however, accusing Corbyn of “sowing the seeds of division” and pointing out a key member of the Labour campaign team, Marsha-Jane Thompson, had been convicted of fraud.
The prime minister’s new Electoral Integrity Bill, if passed, would mean everyone must has to bring photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, to polling booths at election or they face being turned away.
It is estimated there are approximately 3.5m UK citizens who do not have access to photo ID and around 11m citizens who have neither a passport or driving licence.
Speaking at an event to mark Black History Month in Brixton, Corbyn is expected to say: “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.
“We will not allow the Tories to shut down our democracy and shut ethnic minority voters out of our democracy by making it harder for people to vote.”
Data held by the Electoral Commission revealed that there was no evidence large-scale electoral fraud relating to the 2018 local elections.
Of the 266 cases that were investigated by police, just one led to conviction – which related to a Green Party candidate in Peterborough forging signatures on his nomination form – and two suspects who were given a caution.
Ex-council officer Thompson, who was recently appointed to acting head of Labour general secretary Jennie Formby’s office, was convicted in 2006 for claiming she had completed council work that she had not done.
Thompson was sentenced to 100 hours of community service after she was found guilty of 19 counts under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act and one count of false accounting under the Theft Act.
Cleverly 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 fraud as his campaign chief.”
Corbyn is expected to visit the Black Cultural Archives, in the London borough’s Windrush Square, with shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler.
He will underline the party’s commitment to close the race pay gap and to boost the number of BAME people on company boards.
“Black history is British history, and it must not be limited to one month each year,” he will say, adding: “It is vital that we build on the successes of Black History Month and develop a more inclusive understanding of our shared history.”
