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NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank, which are all part of the NatWest Group, will now shut at least 172 of their bank branches in 2023 and 2024. The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has today (Wednesday 22 November) announced a range of tax, benefits and savings measures. We round up the key announcements and what they mean for you. The graphic in question appears to be taken from an article shared by the Electoral Reform Society (which is linked to in one of the tweets being shared as a screengrab on Facebook), published in November 2022.

There are some forms of student ID which are accepted as voter ID, including any student card which is PASS accredited—that is, part of the National Proof of Age Standards Scheme—such as the NUS Totum card. The most recent research conducted by the Electoral Commission in February 2022 found that 4% of people in Britain—equivalent to around 1.9 million voters—did not have any of the pre-existing forms of photo ID required to vote. (Meanwhile older research published by the Electoral Commission in 2015 suggested as many as 3.5 million people might not have any of the forms of photo ID it recommended.) You can travel for free or get discounts on a range of transport services across London. Buses, trams and trains On National Rail services in London, travel free after 9:30 weekdays, and any time on weekends and public holidays. Your Visitor Oyster Card will be cancelled. This means that you won’t be able to use it for future travel. You can still use the card to take advantage of the special offers and discounts available with the card.

A survey of 7,500 people over the age of 18 eligible to vote in England, Scotland and Wales, conducted on behalf of the Cabinet Office in 2021, found approximately 98% held one of the forms of photo ID which were under consideration to become a required form of voter ID. According to the House of Commons Library, this figure would equate to around 925,000 voters not holding any form of photo ID. The government has said it “does not believe this would be an appropriate form of identification, as it is insufficiently secure”. Autumn Statement: State pension confirmed to rise by 8.5% from April 2024 – while some benefits will go up by 6.7% You can travel free on TfL services with your Older Person's Freedom Pass from 09:00 weekdays and anytime at weekends and on bank holidays. The introduction of voter ID has been the subject of significant controversy since it was passed into law last April.

However, the 98% figure includes people who said they held photo ID which had expired, or had a photo which was no longer recognisable. The Cabinet Office survey found that only 91% of people said they had photo ID which was both in-date and recognisable (according to the Electoral Commission you can still use out-of-date photo ID as voter ID, so long as it is still recognisable as you). The government says that voter ID is “a reasonable and proportionate way to confirm that someone is who they say they are when voting, thus stamping out the potential for voter fraud to take place”. However critics of the measure, including Labour and the Liberal Democrats, say there is little evidence of voter fraud taking place at a significant level during elections in the UK, and warn voters could be left disenfranchised if they don’t hold a valid form of ID. The survey also found that younger people were slightly more likely than the general population to hold a form of photo ID, with 99% of those aged 18-29 holding a form of photo ID, compared to 98% of those aged 70 plus. She added: "Allowing the hard copy version of a young person's railcard but not a digital version could lead to voter confusion.”

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It is true that an amendment to the Election Bill was passed in the House of Lords which would have extended the list of valid voter ID, but this was later overturned in the House of Commons. As part of the application process for the 60+ Oyster card, applicants are asked to provide, among other things, “details from your valid, machine-readable passport or your valid UK driving licence (full or provisional)”. Martin Lewis: What the Autumn Statement means for you – including wages, benefits, pensions, ISAs, housing, national insurance and more Use your Freedom Pass between 9:30 and 23:00 on weekdays and anytime on weekends and public holidays. Using bus passes if you don't live in London