Boris Johnson has defended plans to require voters to prove their identity before casting ballots, despite condemnation from civil liberties groups and senior MPs on both sides of the Commons.
The Prime Minister said on Monday that it was “complete nonsense” to suggest he was trying to supress the votes of those who do not back the Tories by introducing the identification requirement.
Downing Street insisted it was a “reasonable approach” and that 99.6% of people in pilots requiring people to show photographic ID had managed to vote without difficulty.
Mr Johnson said the move, to be included in the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday, is necessary to “protect democracy”, but Tory former Cabinet minister David Davis said it was an “illiberal solution for a non-existent problem”.