To the delight of ‘Votes for Life’ campaigners, the UK government today released a 20-point plan to deliver its Queen’s speech commitment to table legislation that should enable all British expats to vote in UK parliamentary elections
WWII veteran and Votes for Life campaigner, Harry Shindler, has been resident in Italy since 1982 and has not been able to vote in UK elections since 1997 due to the 15-year rule.
"There's a letter on its way now - a short note to the prime minister saying 'well done for proposing this bill but let's have it in Parliament in this session'," said Shindler, delighted that his efforts at last are to rewarded and British expats who have lived overseas for 15 years or more soon should be able to have a vote and hence representation in a parliament.
The government said the policy covers five million overseas Britons and should be in place in time for the next general election, due in 2020.
The Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore, announced the policy statements which detail the removal of the current time limit and the news that all eligible British citizens who have lived in the UK will have a right to vote in parliamentary elections.
It would mean all eligible overseas electors are able to register to vote quickly and easily, while maintaining the integrity of the electoral register and guarding against fraud.
Chris Skidmore said, “This statement shows how we will introduce ‘Votes for Life’ by scrapping the 15-year rule.
“British citizens who move abroad remain a part of our democracy and it is important they have the ability to participate. Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we now need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is an outward-facing nation. Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two-thirds of expats live outside the EU.
“Expats retain strong links with the United Kingdom: they may have family here, and indeed they may plan to return here in the future. Modern technology and cheaper air travel has transformed the ability of expats to keep in touch with their home country.”
This policy is part of a bigger jigsaw with online voter registration recently introduced for overseas Britons. The government also made sure overseas postal ballots were issued earlier than domestic ones to ensure that as many overseas electors as possible are able to cast their vote within the time limit.
Mr Shindler, (pictured below) whose Votes for Life petition was rejected by parliament in 2013, fought on and commented today to the BBC, "It seems the government are moving (on this) and that's good... the fact that the government has published this is very welcome indeed."
Mr Shindler, now 95, first took the case to the European Court of Human Rights in 2009, arguing that the ban effectively disenfranchised him and up to a million other Britons living overseas.
In 2015, David Cameron ensured that a Votes for Life bill was included in the Queen’s speech but left many expatriates unable to vote in the UK referendum on EU membership, despite their having as much interest in the result as domestic voters.
Under the proposals, overseas voters still will not be entitled to vote in local elections, elections to the Welsh Assembly, to Holyrood or to Stormont.
The proposal needs to be voted on in the UK parliament and may attract opposition from MPs caught up in the current ‘fortress Britain’ mentality sweeping the country.
Shindler is characteristically up-beat, "And I would expect all MPs of all parties to accept the right of citizens to vote and not defeat this bill."
Shindler, like many expatriates, has close links to the UK with family members living there, holding accounts with British financial institutions and being in receipt of a UK state pension and winter fuel payment.
Read the 20 point plan and policy statement at
‘A democracy that works for everyone: British citizens overseas’.
