The Tories have accused the Prime Minister of softening electoral law guidance to win over voters.
Starmer has been accused of softening guidance to win over voters (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of abandoning plans to crack down on family voting to win over Muslim voters. The Conservatives previously worked to ensure tackling family voting, a term used to describe the issue of multiple people entering a polling booth, was a priority for the Electoral Commission.
However, Labour has taken a softer stance on the plans to change voter fraud guidance with the Prime Minister accused of trying to appease the Left and win over Muslim voters. It comes after voters were accused of breaching electoral law during the Green Party victory in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage reported family voting at the election to Greater Manchester Police and the Electoral Commission.
As reported by The Telegraph, family voting is illegal. It is an attempt to influence someone’s vote in the polling booth and has become a particular concern in parts of the country with high Muslim populations where husbands culturally take a lead over their wives.
During the recent Gorton and Denton by-election, which saw the Green Party win 40.7% of the vote, concerns were raised by Democracy Volunteers, a group of observers who check the voting processes are being followed. The Electoral Commision said it took claims “very seriously” and is now in contact with police to “carefully consider” the report.
In 2022, the Tories changed vote fraud guidance to ensure the commission prioritised the issue of family voting. The tougher guidelines included “providing clear guidance to deliver robust polls that meet the UK’s highest standards of democratic integrity” which ensured “the secrecy of the ballot inside polling stations by making it clear in both advice and guidance that any breach of the secrecy laws or attempt to influence someone’s vote while in the polling booth is an offence”.
They pointed towards research which suggested 5% of voters observed in Tower Hamlets that year were involved in family voting. Around 85% of those affected were women from Asian backgrounds.
Family voting is a term used to describe the issue of multiple people entering a polling boot (Image: Getty)
Despite initially saying they would keep the guidance, Labour has since pledged to remove it which has led to accusations that party leaders no longer see tackling voter fraud as a priority. The Tories said Labour ministers are “grubbing around” for Muslim voters following increasing Green Party popularity.
Sir James Cleverly, the shadow communities secretary, said: “Off the back of a by-election marked by allegations of breaches of electoral law, this Labour Government is now going soft on electoral fraud as part of a wider lurch to the sectarian Left.
“Labour have U-turned again, scrapping the commitment in their own election strategy to focus on the security of the ballot box – a focus brought in by the Conservatives.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We completely reject this. Family voting is illegal and is a matter for the returning officer and the police.
“We’re reinforcing the commission’s independence, further strengthening its ability to oversee future elections. This will not impact the tackling of family voting – as enforcement is for the police not the Electoral Commission.”