Downing Street Feared Letting Veterans Use Their ID Cards To Vote Would 'Open The Floodgates'

Downing Street rejected calls for military veterans to be able to use their ID cards to vote in case it “opened the floodgates” for students to do the same, according to a Cabinet minister.

Johnny Mercer made the revelation in a memo written on board a train and spotted by a fellow passenger.

The Tories introduced controversial new rules requiring people to bring official photographic identification in order to vote.

They said the changes were designed to tackle voter fraud, even though there was no evidence it was a major problem.

Former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg appeared to let the cat out of the bad last year when he said the voter ID rules were designed to “gerrymander” elections in the Tories’ favour.

According to The Times, Mercer, who is the veterans minister and attends Cabinet, said in his memo that he had tried “for months without success” to persuade No.10 to let former military personnel use their veterans’ identity cards to vote.

However, he said the prime minister’s special advisers had blocked his attempts because they could “open the floodgates” to students to use their ID cards as well.

At the local elections on May 2 - the first time the new rules were in force across the country - there were examples of veterans being turned away from polling stations because they did not have the required identification.

Elsewhere in his memo, Mercer also accused No.10 of trying to “placate” Rishi Sunak by promoting him rather than colleagues like Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch.

He said they should be given more air time rather than “average performers” like transport secretary Mark Harper.

The Plymouth Moor View MP wrote: “Political communication seems haphazard, un-themed and loose. We have average performers during important slots. How many people did Harper win over for us this weekend?

“Team in No 10 operating as though the PM is as popular in the polls as he was two years ago. It appears to be all about placating him/ managing him/ promoting him on social media.

“We are only going to get through this as a team. There are good, capable, senior colleagues around the cabinet table who people clearly like, who should see more airtime and be more prominent. The ConHome [ConservativeHome] cabinet polling should not be ignored (Mordaunt/Badenoch — irrespective of the personal views of No 10 staff).”