'This is the first time that I have not voted': Shropshire veteran's anger as her ID not accepted

A government minister has now apologised after veterans across the UK were turned away from polling booths this week.

Among them was Claire Ashton, who served in the army in 1969, and was issued the government's veteran card last year along with 71,000 former serving personnel across the UK.

The 72-year-old from Uffington, near Shrewsbury said when she went to vote in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday, she was turned away for not having the correct photo ID.

She said: "I went at Uffington Shropshire Polling Station and was turned away as not having correct ID. I had my polling card and my Government issued Armed Forces Veterans ID Card but was told this was not sufficient.

"I took it to vote with me to Uffington Polling Station and was turned away. I don't agree with ID for voting anyway but if you are expected to have ID, this was government issued, so why isn't it accepted?"

Veteran ID was officially launched in January this year, with the government issuing the photographic ID over the last 12 months to the nation's veterans as a "recognition of service, a tangible link to the Armed Forces, and to allow them to easily verify their veteran status".

But the cards are not an official accepted form of ID for voting.

Mrs Ashton said: "I had to have facial scans to get this card, but now I know I can't use it to vote, what was the point? I can only think the government don't care.

"I have voted in every election during my life and this is the first time that I have not voted.

"Is this a measure of what the country thinks of their Armed Forces Veterans?"

The veterans minister has apologised to veterans who had tried to use their ID to vote in the local and PCC elections in England on Thursday.

The minister, Johnny Mercer, was responding to a complaint from a veteran on X.com (Twitter) who said he had been turned away at a polling station.

“I am sorry about this,” he 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,” he tweeted.