Veterans minister apologises to former soldier turned away from polling station over ID

The veterans minister Johnny Mercer has apologised to a former soldier who says he was turned away from a polling station because his veteran card "did not count as proper ID".

Former Army officer Adam Diver, from Fleetwood in Lancashire, said in a post on X that he was "gutted" he was not allowed to use his pass to vote in the local elections.

"I'm not one for complaining but I am gutted," he said.

"I spent 27 years in the Army and today I was going to vote in my local elections."

Voters have been required to show photo ID at the ballot box following reforms introduced by the government in May last year.

However, the new veteran ID card, which was introduced earlier this year, is not among those accepted.

Mr Diver went on to say he will be "fighting" for his ID to be considered as "more formal".

Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, said he was sorry for Mr Diver's experience and says he will do "all he can" to make the Veteran Card an acceptable form of ID for future elections.

In a statement, Mr Mercer, who is also a former soldier, said: "The legislation on acceptable forms of ID came out before the veterans ID cards started coming out in January this year. I will do all I can to change it before the next one.

"We're delivering on our commitment to roll out Veteran Cards, with tens of thousands of cards issued since launching the online portal earlier this year.

"While the Veteran Card cannot be used at polling stations today, I want to reassure you that we are already consulting on accepting their use in future elections.

"It's important to me that veterans are able to make the most of their card and I will have more to say about this in due course."