People were prevented from voting because they did not have the correct photo ID, one MP has claimed.

Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said she had received “reports from our tellers of people being turned away at polls for lack of correct IDs. .”

“Across the country, I worry that these will be significant numbers and far more than the exact number of zero people convicted of fraud last year,” she added.

The Election Commission is set to publish its initial findings on the impact of the voter ID mandate on voting in the coming weeks.

The watchdog, awarded £5.6m to run a public awareness campaign, has tasked councils with recording how many voters will be turned down.

No record would be set if greeters deployed outside polling stations turned people away.

The government has estimated that around 4% of the UK population – or two million people – are unlikely to have a valid photo ID in order to vote.

Passports, driver’s licenses and blue badges are among the documents allowed, as well as free certificates that can be registered before the vote.

Photo identification will be required in the UK in future general elections under this policy.

Southend West Conservative MP Anna Firth said she had to get back in her car to get her ID so she could vote as she reminded people not to forget their documents.

In a video posted on Twitter, Ms Firth said: “Don’t forget that ID or you will go to the polling station and have to go home to find it.”

Campaigners have reported “countless examples” of prospective voters being turned away at polling stations in the first elections where photo identification is required.

The Electoral Reform Association, which has strongly opposed the introduction, urged ministers to rethink the new law when voters go to the polls in the UK local elections on Thursday.

But the Association of Election Administrators said the votes “went as smoothly as usual”.

The council and mayor elections are the first in the UK where identification from a definite list is required for voting.

“We have seen countless examples of people being denied the right to vote as a result of these new laws,” said Jess Garland, research and policy director at the Electoral Reform Association.

“From people caught using the wrong type of photo ID to others being turned away because they don’t look like their photos enough.

“A voter turned away is a voter too many. The government must learn from the problems we are seeing today at polling stations across the country and face the reality that these new rules do more harm to our elections than they protect. protect them.”

In the early afternoon, the Association of Election Administrators said no major problems had been reported, although it likely won’t hear about individual voters being turned away.

Chief executive Peter Stanyon said: “Voting day appeared to be going as smoothly as usual, which is testament to the many months of planning and hard work from returning officers and election administrators. run the election today.

“We expect the rest of the day to continue along the same lines.”

Voters in the UK will be required to show photo identification to prove who they are when they arrive at polling stations for the latest round of local elections on Thursday 4 May.

This follows a change to the law initiated by the UK government and first introduced during the Queen’s Speech in May 2021.

It was later included as part of the Elections Act 2022, passed by Congress last April to improve election security.

Here are 21 forms of ID that voters can use to vote:

The Labor leader has accused Rishi Sunak of ‘corrupting the economy’, John Rentoul wrote.

Read John’s full work here:

The Election Commission said voters who have lost their photo identification can register to vote by emergency authorization until 5 p.m. ET.

Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said “almost nobody knows about this”.

He added: “Don’t lose your chance to vote for the Conservative Party.

More information on how to register to vote can be found here:

There has been a lot of back-and-forth between Labor and the Conservatives over the past week about what makes for a good night’s sleep, writing Stone Jon.

The Tory’s message is that they are expecting 1,000 losses, while Labor says they should make a profit.

But what are forecasters saying? There are many estimates and milestones to choose from.

Poll expert Sir John Curtice has said that Labor’s double-digit lead in the national vote share expected on the night could suggest it is heading towards victory in the election. vote.

Both Tony Blair and David Cameron won a share of the vote in excess of 10% in these contests before they became prime ministers.

Small changes in vote share can have a big impact on the story.

Politico professor Rob Ford, told the Politico website that “if the Tories were above 28% they would have done better than in 2019,” while “if they were at 25% it was the worst they’ve ever done.” do”.

Theorists Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher are widely regarded as the benchmark for the local electoral model.

The well-respected pair say the Tories could lose up to 1,000 seats on a bad night, in the event that the 6% swings from the Conservative Party to Labor since 2019.

According to their model, a loss of 750 would be better than current polls but still a bad result.

500 losses would represent “midterm disappointment”, while less than 300 losses would indicate Labor not growing.