Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill

Baroness Scott of Bybrook Excerpts

Friday 5th September 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, I thank all Members of both Houses for their hard work in progressing this Bill. The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is essential that we take the necessary steps to ensure that voting is as accessible as possible for all constituents. I am sure that your Lordships’ House is united in both praise and gratitude for the electoral staff across this country on whom all our democratic rights and freedoms depend.

On this side of the House, we welcome the Bill. It was first proposed under the last Conservative Government and it takes important steps to improve voting accessibility in Scotland and Wales. It also builds on strong foundations, not least the Elections Act 2022. The Act made real progress in strengthening the security of our democracy, including the requirement for digital imprints on online campaign materials.

This Bill implements significant measures to ensure that those who may have accessibility requirements are best equipped to exercise their democratic rights. It is right to make the voting process as seamless as possible for those who may be disabled or have particular challenges; allowing them to register digitally for absent voting takes large steps to ensure that this is the case. However, effective fraud checks are needed for both paper and electronic absent vote applications. Safeguarding the integrity of elections is a core duty of government, and Ministers must act decisively to modernise the system and block malign influence, whether that be domestic or from foreign powers.

That is why I welcome the Government’s stated commitment to working closely with the Electoral Commission and others to protect the integrity, security and effectiveness of UK elections and referendums. I urge them to ensure that this is not just rhetoric but reality.

I welcome the provisions of the Bill to ensure devolved voting in Scotland and Wales is in clear alignment with the electoral procedure for the UK-wide elections. The Bill provides Ministers of the Crown and the Scottish and Welsh Governments with powers to regulate how the service is used. This will enable Ministers to provide for and address any issues they may have, whether it be partial completion of applications, signatures or evidence requirements, in a manner they deem most fitting. I support different Governments and legislatures being better equipped to make policy choices for their respective jurisdictions. However, I hope that a large degree of alignment can occur between Governments as far as practically possible to ensure the smooth administration of elections.

While supportive of the provisions the Bill contains to make voting more accessible and efficient, I strongly caution the Government to cease their plans to weaken voter ID requirements. Of course, we should make every effort possible to ensure that voting is made as accessible as possible to all in our democracy, but I urge the Government to think again. The trade-off from loosening the voter ID requirements is simply not worth the considerable risk this would pose to the integrity of the voting process.

In conclusion, we on this side of the House are pleased to be in unity with the Government’s stance on the Bill. The Conservative Party is, and will always remain, the champion of democracy and supports any legislation that empowers people’s democratic rights. That said, we should be cautious of any legislation which could jeopardise the reliability or security of that precious democratic process. I hope the Government take these considerations seriously and work closely with the Electoral Commission to ensure the democratic system operates effectively and with integrity, so that we can all continue to enjoy the rights and freedoms it provides.