Kate Garraway has revealed that the only polling card posted through her door was for her late husband Derek Draper.
The Good Morning Britain host, 57, shared the heartbreaking news while speaking about how people can vote as the nation heads to the polls today.
Derek, a former Labour party advisor, died aged 56 on January 3, following a long battle with COVID-19.
Speaking on ITV this morning, Kate said: ‘I haven’t had one for myself. The only polling card that’s come through the door is for Derek, sadly, who’s passed away.’
Thousands of voters across the UK have been caught up in chaos over postal ballot issues ahead of the General Election today.
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Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway, 57, (pictured today) revealed that she received a polling card for her late husband in the post
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Derek, a former Labour party advisor, died aged 56 on January 3, following a long battle with COVID-19. The couple were married for 19 years
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Derek was amongst the first wave of people to fall seriously ill with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom after testing positive as the country entered lockdown in March 2020
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The New Labour spin doctor reached great heights of influence in the 1990s but became best known for his involvement in the ‘lobbygate’ scandal
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A former researcher for Blairite Peter Mandelson, Derek Draper became a director of lobbying firm GPC Market Access in 1996 and set up the New Labour organisation Progress with Liam Byrne, who went on to become an MP
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Derek Draper (circled) is seen standing next to Labour grandees including Neil Kinnock, John Prescott and Peter Mandelson (right) in 1997 after Tony Blair’s landslide election win
Derek was amongst the first wave of people to fall seriously ill with COVID-19 in the United Kingdom after testing positive as the country entered lockdown in March 2020.
He was one of the country’s longest suffering COVID patients but never fully recovered and needed round-the-clock care after the virus left long-lasting damage to his internal organs.
Broadcaster Kate has spoken candidly about losing her husband and has also opened up about her perilous financial state, caused by spending so much on his care.
Kate has been hit with a £32,000 bill from liquidators for closing Derek’s psychotherapy company after being crippled by a £700,000 tax bill.
She has been ordered to pay the £32,000 flat fee as well as 40 per cent of assets recovered from psychotherapeutic company Astra Aspera.
Kate has already been left £1.5million in debt from the cost of Derek’s care and money owed to the taxman.
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Speaking on ITV this morning, Kate said: ‘I haven’t had one for myself. The only polling card that’s come through the door is for Derek, sadly, who’s passed away’
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She was talking on the show as she and co-host Adil Ray interviewed an election specialist about the practicalities of voting
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In 2005, Mr Draper married Kate Garraway, the GMTV co-presenter who is now part of the Good Morning Britain team on ITV and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2007 and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2019. Above: The couple in 2008
This Morning pays emotional tribute to the late Derek Draper
She previously revealed she resorted to withdrawing money from her pension pot to pay the huge bills from Derek’s medical care.
In an ITV documentary in April, the star admitted she couldn’t even afford to have the heating on in October.
Ahead of voters heading to the polls today, concerns have been mounting that thousands could miss out on the opportunity to vote after up to 90 constituencies reported problems with ballots not arriving on time.
The crisis has been caused by councils not printing enough ballot papers and Royal Mail not delivering on time, it has been claimed.
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Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair arrives for Derek Draper’s funeral at St Mary the Virgin Church in Primrose Hill with his wife Cherie
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Alastair Campbell, Blair’s former director of communications, arrives for Derek Draper’s funeral
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Lord Peter Mandelson attends the funeral service of Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin church in Primrose Hill
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Former Labour leader and current shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband arrives for Derek Draper’s funeral
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Ed Balls attends the funeral of Derek Draper at St Mary the Virgin Church
Despite coming under fire for the delays, Royal Mail denies being the cause, blaming the tight timetable set by the government after Rishi Sunak called a snap July 4 election on May 22.
The deadline for registering for a postal vote was June 19 – but some people have yet to receive their ballot pack.
For a vote to be eligible, postal votes must have reached councils by 10pm on polling day.
Postal voting has grown in popularity over the years, with numbers rising from 937,000 in 1997 to 8.2 million in 2019.
This election is expected to see over 10 million postal votes, a 20 per cent increase from 2019, according to the Mirror.
The tight schedule has put additional pressure on councils to print and send out ballots correctly and securely.
Councils and electoral administrators have raised concerns that the timetable is too tight – 11 working days from the deadline – as printing postal votes is a complicated process and election teams need to carry out additional security checks.
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Source: Los Angeles Times (edited)
