Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced an embarrassing moment during local elections as he was turned away from a polling station for forgetting to bring his photo ID.
The incident occurred in Oxfordshire, southern England, where Johnson attempted to cast his vote.
As per reports, Johnson, who had introduced the requirement for voters to show photo ID while voting during his tenure as prime minister, was initially unable to produce his ID.
Although his spokesperson confirmed that Johnson eventually voted Conservative, they did not deny the initial mishap.
Johnson’s government implemented the ID requirement in 2022 in an effort to combat potential voter fraud.
However, the move drew criticism for its potential to disenfranchise certain segments of the electorate. Previously, voters only needed to provide their name and address to vote.
Despite Johnson’s defense of the new rules, stating that it was not unreasonable to ask first-time voters for proof of identity, the implementation faced challenges.
In the first elections where the ID requirement was enforced, approximately 14,000 people in England were unable to cast their votes due to a lack of ID.
The incident adds to the colorful political career of Boris Johnson, who has been involved in various memorable moments, including being left dangling on a zip wire during his time as London mayor.
Another notable incident occurred when he was pictured seemingly retreating into a large refrigerator to avoid a camera crew during his tenure as prime minister.
A poll by YouGov prior to the recent elections revealed that 14% of Britons were still unaware of the voter ID requirement, highlighting ongoing challenges in implementing and communicating changes to voting procedures.
