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Elections: May 2021
13 January 2021
Lead MP
Chloe Smith
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
EmploymentDemocracy & ElectionsLocal Government
Other Contributors: 25
At a Glance
Chloe Smith raised concerns about elections: may 2021 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Chloe Smith emphasised the importance of holding safe and secure elections as a cornerstone of democracy, acknowledging delays due to the pandemic but reaffirming plans for May polls. She noted that decisions impacting residents, such as council tax and road closures, should be subject to public scrutiny through elections. While stressing caution in any potential changes, she highlighted precedents like Scottish council elections held during earlier stages of the pandemic. The Government aims to support voting methods including polling stations, proxy, or postal votes, encouraging those shielding or preferring alternatives to opt for absent voting. Additional measures include extending proxy appointment rights and vaccine rollouts for vulnerable groups. Close collaboration with the Electoral Commission ensures guidance updates based on public health advice, and technical compliance under covid regulations is ensured. She thanked local government officials for their efforts since March 2020.
Cat Smith
Lab
Lancaster and Wyre
Question
The hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood asked about the Government’s preparation regarding elections’ safety measures during a pandemic, citing international precedents of safe conduct. She inquired why no action has been taken so far by the Government despite calls from Labour to introduce safer voting methods such as multiple-day voting or an all-postal ballot system. Cat Smith also questioned whether Conservative party chair took advice from party candidates regarding possible delay timelines and sought a clear statement that elections would not be postponed last minute. She expressed concern over potential financial wastage due to lack of timely information, particularly given the fiscal constraints faced by councils. Concerns were raised about electoral staff welfare, especially volunteers at high risk under current guidelines.
Minister reply
Chloe Smith thanked Cat Smith for her support and defended the Government's actions, emphasising ongoing preparation and collaboration with various sectors including local authorities and the election administration sector to ensure guidance updates based on public health advice. She assured clear guidance would be provided regarding staff protection and cooperation with devolved Administrations in England, Scotland, and Wales. Minister dismissed concerns about forcing people to choose between health and voting rights as exaggerated.
Question
Inquires about the possibility of election delays requiring new legislation, stressing that justice and democracy should not be delayed disproportionately. Questions whether elections can go ahead as planned.
Minister reply
Confirms that any delay would require primary legislation and emphasises the importance of maintaining high standards for such changes. Acknowledges the precedent set by successful elections elsewhere but reiterates the need to ensure safe conduct.
Question
Discusses measures taken in Scotland, including contingency plans with the Electoral Management Board and the Electoral Commission, and questions whether similar legislation will be adopted for England.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the Scottish measures but emphasises that preparations for elections are already well underway. Reiterates the importance of collaboration between administrations to ensure voter safety.
Joy Morrissey
Con
Beaconsfield
Question
Points out that successful elections have been held in the US and Europe, questioning why we cannot do the same.
Minister reply
Agrees that examples from other countries show it is possible to conduct safe elections during a pandemic.
Tim Farron
Lib Dem
Westmorland and Lonsdale
Question
Welcomes the Minister back and expresses his preference for early clarity on election dates, criticises proposed reorganizations in Somerset, Cumbria, and North Yorkshire as poorly timed.
Minister reply
Agrees to raise concerns with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Bob Blackman
Con
Harrow East
Question
Queries about keeping the House updated on election timelines before the deadline for elections' advertisement.
Minister reply
Undertakes to keep the House informed of any changes in a timely manner, emphasising the importance of proper planning and logistical arrangements.
Kerry McCarthy
Lab
Bristol East
Question
Concerned about Bristol's complex election set-up involving multiple levels of government elections, asks how local authorities will be supported to ensure voter understanding.
Minister reply
Promises support through the Electoral Commission and other measures to ensure voters are well-informed and can participate safely.
Question
Concerned about inconsistent campaigning practices among political parties, asks for guidance on ensuring safe campaign practices.
Minister reply
Endorses responsible campaigning and pledges to work with the Electoral Commission to provide guidance on safe election conduct.
Emma Lewell-Buck
Lab
South Shields
Question
Critiques the lack of detail regarding support for disabled and vulnerable voters, particularly those in shielding categories.
Minister reply
Announces plans to extend proxy voting application periods and encourages postal vote applications for those concerned about physical attendance.
Jacob Young
Con
Redcar and Cleveland
Question
As last year’s elections were postponed, there will be a knock-on effect on the length of term faced by both the Tees Valley Mayor and the PCC for Cleveland. May I urge the Government to consider reviewing these term lengths in the event that there are any further delays to the elections? The Labour party has left Cleveland police in a mess.
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this point, because he reminds us of the consequence of the first postponement. I am not in favour of delay and think that there are very strong arguments for the elections to be able to go ahead safely; hence it is not my intention to have to do as he asks. However, his concerns will be properly understood.
Toby Perkins
Lab
Chesterfield
Question
Does she agree that, for these elections to have validity, we need people not only to be able to vote in them safely but to be able to campaign in them safely? Will she do a lot more than what she has laid out so far and work with the other political parties competing in these elections in England?
Minister reply
I am very grateful for the tone that the hon. Gentleman strikes. It is important that there should always be a level playing field in our elections; that is a critical principle of our democracy. I am keen to secure cross-party consensus and if Labour colleagues would like to begin by creating this today, it will be excellent.
Peter Bone
Con
Northamptonshire
Question
In Northamptonshire, we have a problem with the creation of two new unitary authorities on 1 April. If the elections are delayed, I assume that this council will be governed by the shadow authority for their seventh year without being re-elected.
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend and his kind comments and point about the use of Royal Mail which gives me an opportunity to reassure the House that my officials and I are in touch with Royal Mail to ensure it is part of elections; for example, postal votes will be capable of being delivered properly.
Warrington North
Question
In Warrington, all-out borough council, parish council and police and crime commissioner elections were due to take place last May but were delayed until this year and risk being delayed again. In the US, early voting and drive-through ballot boxes enabled a historically high turnout. Why have the Government failed to take the initiative?
Minister reply
Labour Members here today are so keen to paint a picture of delay that they are not seeing the wood for the trees; a whole set of preparation has already been laid down, early voting and drive-through ballot boxes are some of many ways to introduce extra complexity at a time when what voters need is polls delivered safely and easily.
Alec Shelbrooke
Con
Wetherby and Easingwold
Question
Following on from the previous question, in terms of those who are pushing for a full postal vote election, what would be the lead time to put that in place?
Minister reply
Yes, there is a lengthy lead time, and it would require a lot to be done. I do not think it is the right thing to do, so I can confirm to the House that any such preparation has not been laid for that.
Question
It is extremely important that the democratic process is able to go ahead if it is safe to do so. Does the Minister agree that we need to make voting as safe as possible? What more needs to be done?
Minister reply
I am grateful for the tone that the hon. Gentleman strikes, because this is critically important. Postal voting will be a sensible option at these elections for obvious reasons; electoral commission will also play a large part in this with its usual role of public information campaigns ahead of all polls.
Andrew Griffith
Con
Arundel and South Downs
Question
Does my hon. Friend agree that, with Great Britain seen as the gold standard for well-organised elections and peaceful transfer of power, it should be perfectly possible to run a covid-secure set of local elections?
Minister reply
Yes, it is possible, and that is precisely what we are doing.
Feryal Clark
Lab
Enfield North
Question
Across the world, postal votes have been a crucial part of delivering covid-safe elections. In the UK, however, postal vote application forms require physical printing to return the form creating a significant barrier to many who do not have access to a printer.
Minister reply
I really welcome the hon. Lady’s question, because she clearly displays an important knowledge of the subject that is ahead of us; it is something I am looking at for the future.
Question
I love campaigning, but when the national lockdown was declared, I stopped campaigning as that was the right thing to do. I was therefore incredibly disappointed to see not one, not two, but several examples of the Liberal Democrats across the country exploiting a loophole to keep delivering literature.
Minister reply
It is really important to emphasise that point in the midst of this debate; we are having this debate because we are in a public health crisis and in a pandemic, therefore have a duty to ensure that important civic functions, which include elections go ahead only in a safe way.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
Question
May I also wish the Minister a speedy and full recovery? With numerous elections due to take place across the different parts of the United Kingdom, it seems that the Government are a barrier to the critical changes needed to our voting methods to deliver covid-secure elections. For example, the police and crime commissioner elections are the responsibility of the UK Government, making it impossible for the Welsh Labour Government to introduce new voting methods without causing widespread chaos and confusion on polling day. Can the Minister explain why the Government have so far failed to heed the calls from the Welsh Labour Government to make voting safer in the upcoming polls?
Minister reply
I do not think I recognise the picture that the hon. Gentleman paints. I can assure him of my very good relationships with Julie James and other colleagues in the Welsh Government. Indeed, I am expecting to speak to Julie later this week, so, should there be some fundamental misunderstanding about how we can all deliver polls safely, I look forward to taking that up with him and with her.
Question
We cannot predict the future or be totally certain of what the situation will be in May, but I am pleased that my hon. Friend is looking at all sorts of options in order to be able to do this on time. Elections are vital in any democracy and we are already a year behind. Some have called for a further year’s postponement, which would seem to fly in the face of our democratic processes. Can she assure me that, if any delay is required for health reasons, it would not be an arbitrary or lengthy postponement but the minimum possible time so that we could hold the votes as soon as possible?
Minister reply
Yes, I can give that commitment. As the House will, I hope, have heard me say clearly today, I am not saying that the polls are to be postponed or that they should be postponed; we are carefully keeping the situation under review. I hope that, in answer to several questions today, I have been able clearly to make the point that that needs to be done carefully and that that is what we are doing.
Question
I strongly support the Government’s plan to go ahead with the May elections, which are crucial to our democracy. Given that many more people may well need or want a postal vote, will the Minister bring forward, before the elections, measures for enhanced security? There are worries about fraud and it is surely important that anyone who exercises a postal vote should have just the one vote and they should make the decision.
Minister reply
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s vigilance on electoral fraud, which is extremely important. We all want all forms of voting to be secure, and it is helpful of him to point out the fact that postal and proxy voting should be just as secure as when someone casts their vote in person at a polling station.
Liz Twist
Lab
Blaydon and Consett
Question
The upcoming local elections will see a record number of elections with various different voting systems in use on the same day. In normal times, this would cause an immense logistical challenge; given the added pressure caused by the need to run safe elections during a pandemic, will the Minister outline why local authorities have not been given any additional funding to ensure that voters are able to exercise their democratic right without risking their health?
Minister reply
[Inaudible.]—based on an inaccuracy. Up until November last year, the Government had provided a total of £4.3 billion to local authorities to help with pandemic costs, and on 17 December last year the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government allocated to councils in England a further £1.55 billion non-ring-fenced grant for covid-19 pressures, which explicitly included the concept that the money might need to be used to support the running of covid-secure local elections.
Question
I thank the Minister for clarifying the situation regarding the prospect of all-postal votes. Can she reassure the House that steps have been taken to address previous concerns expressed about this method of voting?
Minister reply
Yes. There have been some trials of all-postal voting in the past, under a previous Government. My officials and I have looked at that evidence, and we will continue to look at any other evidence that is provided. As I said in answer to an earlier question, I do not think all-postal voting is the right way forward—it takes away from people an element of choice as to how they wish to cast their vote—but I hope that my reassurances about the importance of electoral integrity generally and about making sure that any method of casting a vote is absolutely secure are helpful to my hon. Friend and to the House more generally.
Janet Daby
Lab
Lewisham East
Question
What steps has the Cabinet Office taken to ensure that people who are asymptomatic of covid-19 and instructed to self-isolate are able to cast their vote? Will the Minister consider changing emergency proxy voting rules to enable those testing positive on the day of the election to vote via proxy?
Minister reply
This is an excellent point on which to end the session. This is exactly the measure that I was referring to earlier that will complete the set of preparations to enable that to happen for anybody who might be affected by covid-19 in the few days before an election, when, traditionally, it would have been too late to apply for an absent vote.
Shadow Comment
Cat Smith
Shadow Comment
Cat Smith expressed disappointment in the lack of clarity regarding safe conduct of elections amidst ongoing pandemic challenges, urging the Government to provide timely guidance for local councils, electoral staff, candidates, campaigners, and the public. She noted international examples where nations conducted national elections safely with proper measures. Labour advocated for safer voting methods including multiple-day voting and all-postal ballots but observed no action from the Government so far. Cat Smith inquired about potential party political influence on scheduling decisions, sought assurances against last-minute postponements causing financial wastage, and requested clear guidance on making polling stations and counts covid-secure. Concerns were raised over electoral staff welfare, especially volunteers at high risk under current guidelines.
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