Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill

Lord Murphy of Torfaen Excerpts

Friday 24th October 2025 Lords Chamber

Moved by

[Lord Murphy of Torfaen]

That the Bill do now pass.

[Lord Jamieson (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as a councillor in central Bedfordshire.

The Bill is most welcome, and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Murphy of Torfaen, for bringing it forward. It makes the necessary provisions to ensure that, where divergence has arisen across the whole of Great Britain, shared democratic values are brought into closer practical alignment. In doing so, it strengthens the unity of our democratic system while respecting the distinct identities of the devolved nations. We on these Benches have always sought to bridge the gaps between the constituent communities that make our country so unique and vibrant.

It is right to acknowledge that the Bill builds on the work of the previous Government, including the Elections Act 2022, which took important steps to reinforce the security and transparency of our democratic processes. That Act introduced measures such as digital imprints on online campaign materials and enhanced security for political funding—reforms that were both timely and necessary. It is therefore regrettable that legislative consent was not granted for those measures at the time. This Bill now goes some way to mitigate the effect of those divisions.

I also reiterate what my noble friend Lady Scott said at Second Reading: I urge the Government to reconsider any proposals to dilute voter ID requirements. Today we are legislating to make voting easier while maintaining appropriate safeguards. We must not, at the same time, take steps to weaken the security of our elections.

Finally, accessibility is vital, but so too is security. Protecting the integrity of our elections by guarding against fraud or interference is a core duty of any responsible Government. In the other place, my honourable friend Paul Holmes rightly called for Ministers to

“take decisive and proactive steps…to prevent malign influence, whether domestic or foreign”—[Official Report, Commons, 4/7/25; col. 594.]

as we modernise and reform our systems. I would therefore be grateful if the Minister could use this opportunity to set out what specific steps the Government are taking to uphold that commitment.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Murphy of Torfaen (Lab)]

My Lords, it is quite difficult for a Welsh Labour politician to talk about elections dispassionately, but I will try to do that. I thank all those who have been involved in the Bill—my honourable friend Tracy Gilbert from the other place and, of course, all the officials and parliamentary officials who have put the Bill through. I would like to thank all Members here who realised that this is a small but important step in the right direction, in the sense that now, at last, voters in Scotland and Wales will be able to apply online for postal and proxy votes for the Senedd, the Scottish Parliament and for Scottish and Welsh local elections.

There is one point I want to emphasise before I sit down, and I know the Minister is aware of this. Now that the Bill has gone through its parliamentary stages and will become law very soon, it is important, because there are six months left before those important elections next year, that the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government now properly look at these new arrangements and ensure that people can vote by proxy or by post at the next Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections. As I said at Second Reading, I will continue to vote at Llantarnam church hall.

I beg to move that the Bill do now pass.