Covid: Bar for delaying election date 'quite high' - minister

The bar for postponing English elections due on 6 May is "quite high", minister Chloe Smith has said.

Voters are set to go to the polls in May for council and mayoral elections in England - and parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales.

However some MPs have said the vote should be postponed, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Smith said the date was being "kept under review" and that any change would need the support of MPs.

Responding to an urgent question she told the House of Commons safe and secure elections were a "cornerstone of democracy" and that the government had been working to ensure the polls could open in a "Covid-secure manner".

She said the government would put in place measures to support absent voting including extending the ability to appoint a proxy.

"We would actively encourage anyone who is shielding or who would prefer not to attend a polling station to apply for an absent vote," she said.

As well as appointing a proxy, absent voting can also refer to voting by post.

The minister said she didn't think there is "a clear case" for introducing early voting arguing that it introduces "extra complexity". She also rejected implementing all-postal voting.

The minister was pretty clear. While the election date is still under review, she's not in favour of any delay, believing it possible to hold the polls safely and pointing to places that have done so during the pandemic.

But that's by no means a universal view. Plenty in local government, responsible for administering the elections, still have their concerns.

Among them are issues such as whether enough Covid-secure polling stations can be found with staff to man them, what happens if key volunteers get the virus, how ballots can be counted safely, and the increased cost.

A key concern for some though is the impact on campaigning.

Depending on Covid restrictions, candidates may not be able to go door-to-door, delivering leaflets and election promises as is usual.

Some fear that could affect the outcome. In the end, the politics might matter as much as the practicalities.

Local government officials have expressed concern about the cost and complexity of holding the vote in May, urging the government to settle on a clear position early.

Labour's Cat Smith urged the government to ensure the elections aren't postponed in an "irresponsible last-minute u-turn", and said the scheduling of elections should come ahead of any party political advantage.

She said councils hit by cuts could not "afford to be caught on the hoof".

In Scotland, any change to the election date would be a decision for the Scottish Parliament, rather than the government, and MSPs have introduced contingency plans which would allow the vote to be pushed back by up to six months.

And in Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said he is "committed" to the 6 May polling date but he wants to "allow some flexibility" - and a new law is being planned to make it possible to delay the election if needed.

Police and crime commissioner, council and mayoral elections had been due to take place in 2020 but were postponed due to Covid.