𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Postal voting will be banned in many cases and only “naturalised British citizens” will be able to take part in parliamentary elections under a Reform UK Government, Nigel Farage has pledged. Reform claims current rules which allow resident Commonwealth citizens to vote if they meet certain conditions has led to UK elections being fought on “international issues”.

Postal voting would only be allowed under “tightly defined exemptions” for “the elderly, the disabled, serving armed forces personnel, and those working overseas during an election”.

Mr Farage said: “For too long, postal voting has allowed our elections to be turned into a laughing stock, riddled with fraud, intimidation and outright cheating. It’s been allowed to go on for years and has poisoned trust in our democracy. Meanwhile, allowing non-Brits – people with zero connection to this country – vote on our future is absurd. It is right that only British citizens should be able to vote in British parliamentary elections. That’s why a Reform government will immediately ban wholesale postal voting and ensure only British citizens can vote in elections in order to bring back trust to British democracy.”

According to the Electoral Commission, a Commonwealth citizen can register to vote if he or she has leave to enter or remain in the UK, or does not require that leave.

Citizens of Fiji and Zimbabwe retain their voting rights even though the countries have been suspended from the Commonwealth.

The Electoral Commission reports there is “no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud”. It states on its website: “Of the 1,318 cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to police between 2020 and 2024, eight led to convictions and the police issued three cautions.”

Reform has gone to the police after election observer group Democracy Volunteers warned there were “concerningly high levels” of “family voting” during the Gorton and Denton by-election. This is an illegal practice where two voters use one polling booth and may direct each other how to vote.

Shadow Local Government Secretary Sir James Cleverly has also requested the Electoral Commission stage an inquiry.

Democracy Volunteers reported its observers witnessed family voting in 15 of 22 polling stations observed. Reform finished second in the by-election, with the Greens taking the seat from Labour.

Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake expressed alarm at the Reform proposals, saying: ““We must safeguard our elections with proportionate, evidence-based reforms, not headline grabbing measures that could lock law-abiding voters out of our democratic process.”