Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted that the Voter ID introduction, first used at the local council elections, last week, was an attempt at ‘gerrymandering.’
However, it backfired as it was older Tory voters who didn’t turn up to vote.
But was the intention there and is it illegal?
The internet never forgets and here he is talking about it….
So Mogg can’t wash his hands with it, as in May 2021 he said: “It is only reasonable to ask people to turn up with their photographic identification”.”
Illegal gerrymandering ?
In response, Dawn Butler is deeply troubled by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s admission on voter ID… as he admitted this was a deliberate attempt to manipulate an electoral outcome in favour of the Tories… gerrymandering… “should I report this to the police?’ she asked.
A lot of people seemed to agree with Dawn, see one example below from Shane Levitt’s Twitter account. He writes: “I think maybe we should all report to the police. So @metpoliceuk I’d like to report a potential crime please of electoral fraud.”
More gerrymandering?
There has also been a simmering argument for a number of years over the shake-up of England’s electoral map.
It was thought Conservatives could gain from changing boundaries, an initial analysis suggested back in 2022.
The overhaul was the first redrawing of constituency boundaries since 2010, and is set to be used at the next general election, expected in 2024.
The new boundaries, based on voter registration figures, will see England receive an additional 10 MPs, taking its total seats to 543.
Power grab
At the time Labour accused the government of attempting a power-grab for the executive by pushing through a bill which that strip parliament of its role in approving the imminent redrawing of UK parliamentary boundaries, reported the Guardian in June 2020.
An angry Cat Smith, the then shadow Cabinet Office minister said: “The government’s decision to end parliamentary oversight by denying MPs the chance to vote on the boundary review process is yet another attempt to diminish scrutiny and concentrate power in the hands of the executive.
“The new boundaries will be dangerously unrepresentative of the current electorate. Choosing the electoral register of 1 December 2020 as the basis for drawing new boundaries is politically motivated. The December 2020 register will be heavily affected by Covid-19 as local councils will struggle to update electoral registers whilst dealing with this crisis.”
As bad as it sounds?
It is suggested that the Conservatives could gain between five and 10 additional seats, reported the i April this year.
However, they are doing so badly at the polls even that might not be enough to help them win.
As you can see Lord Robert Haward, a Conservative peer and leading pollster, said this modest boost “isn’t enough to help” the party when the country next goes to the polls.
“The party gaining between five and 10 seats applies whether they lose the election or whether they win the election… It is likely that they will get between five and more seats over and above what they would get, wherever the opinion polls lie.”
Related: Tory admits ‘gerrymandering’ – Guess who Daily Mail focuses voter fraud on?
