Labour’s £25 voting fee is essentially a poll tax

Imagine the reaction of Her Majesty’s Opposition if the government announced that it was to introduce a new ‘voter charge’ – a levy which citizens had to pay before they were allowed into the polling station. Just as they did with the ‘Community Charge’ over a quarter of a century ago Labour would undoubtedly – and quite reasonably – call it a ‘poll tax’. How could a democracy possibly try to exclude the poor from the vote, they would ask, before backing a legal challenge on the grounds of human rights?

Why, then, is Labour so determined to introduce its own internal poll tax? Yesterday, the party lost a High Court challenge brought against the plan to exclude new members a vote in the leadership contest unless they pay an extra £25 to be a ‘supporter’. Non-members can also register to vote by paying £25 to be a Labour party supporter.