By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-03 00:54:51 | Updated at 2026-09-03 01:57:47
1 hour ago
Labour has been accused of "turning a blind eye" to husbands telling their wives how to vote as the Conservatives demanded a crackdown on family voting.
Newly appointed Shadow Communities Secretary Katie Lam warned that "coercion, fraud and poisonous sectarianism" posed a threat to British democracy as she attacked the Government's planned electoral reforms.
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Ms Lam said volunteers had nevertheless reported the "highest level" of family voting they had seen in the past decade during the by-election, which was won by the Green Party.
She told MPs: "Family voting is a direct assault on two important principles. The first is that each and every voter must be able to cast their ballot on the basis of their individual beliefs and interest.
"The second is that those ballots should be cast in secret, without pressure or oversight. These two principles are fundamental to the functioning of British democracy."
Ms Lam then accused Labour of failing to protect women's electoral freedoms.
Katie Lam warned that 'coercion, fraud and poisonous sectarianism' posed a threat to British democracy
HOUSE OF COMMONS
She said: "Any practice which results in husbands instructing their wives on how to votes, or allows their fathers to instruct their daughters on how to vote is an insult to the liberties enjoyed by women in this country and it must not be allowed to stand. And yet this Labour Government has turned a blind eye."
The Tory frontbencher also called for election leaflets to be produced only in English or other languages of the British Isles.
She argued that allowing candidates to campaign in foreign languages made it more difficult for the wider public to scrutinise their messages.
Ms Lam said: "The fundamental point about producing election literature in English or another language of the British Isles is that the public must be able to scrutinise what it is that candidates are saying."
Ms Lam pointed to reports of family voting during the Gorton and Denton by-election in February
However, Labour MP Luke Akehurst challenged the proposal by pointing to the Conservative Party's previous use of foreign languages in election material.
Ms Lam replied: "Our proposal is clearly intended to be one rule for everybody, the Conservative Party position is that all election literature should be produced in the language of this country."
She went on to accuse ministers of failing to confront what she described as "electoral sectarianism".
Ms Lam said: "This Labour Government is either blind or, unfortunately, weak on the issue of electoral sectarianism, which represents the single biggest threat to our democracy today.
Florence Eshalomi insisted the legislation would 'deliver a modern and secure and inclusive electoral system' 
"They have repeatedly chosen to soften our approach to coercive family voting and to allow candidates to continue campaigning in foreign languages with the explicit intention of appealing to particular ethnic, religious, or cultural minority groups."
The row erupted as MPs scrutinised the Government's Representation of the People Bill, which includes plans to lower the voting age to 16, speed up voter registration and overhaul political donation rules.
Communities Minister Florence Eshalomi said the legislation would "deliver a modern and secure and inclusive electoral system that the public rightly deserve".
The Government is seeking to tighten restrictions on political donations, including suspending donations made in cryptocurrency and introducing a cap for some British citizens living overseas.
