Stephen Twigg MP, Labour’s Shadow Political and Constitutional Reform Minister, commenting on today’s report on individual electoral registration, said:

“The Electoral Commission has highlighted some major problems which the Government must address before the full and final roll out of individual electoral registration. It is crucial the Government responds to the concerns raised by the Electoral Commission, because failure to do so could see millions of eligible voters dropping off the electoral register.

“Labour learnt from the experiences in Northern Ireland where poor implementation of individual electoral registration saw many of those eligible to vote disappear from the electoral register. That’s why our original plans had a phased introduction period, and included strong safeguards to protect against sharp falls in the numbers registered to vote. It’s a pity the Government’s  plans for individual electoral registration play fast and loose by speeding up the process and stripping out those safeguards.”