15-year expat voting rule to be scrapped… after EU referendum

Long-term British expats will finally be given the vote, but only once the EU referendum is done and dusted.

The Conservatives’ pre-election promise to scrap the ruling that denies British expats the right to vote after they have lived overseas for 15 years or more was upheld in the Queen’s Speech recently, but the ruling will only be rescinded after the EU referendum is held in 2017…

The Votes for Life Bill was passed at the opening of the new Parliament, thereby scrapping the current rule that sees Brits who live abroad lose their right to vote in general elections after a period of 15 years.

However, the current ruling will remain in place for the referendum, which is due to be held before the end of 2017 at the latest. Should the referendum on the UK’s relationship with the EU be brought forward, then the wording of the Bill means that, theoretically at least, the 15-year ruling could also be scrapped earlier.

Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative MP who has campaigned for a long time to have the 15-year rule abolished, said: “We’ve made a clear promise on the 15-year rule and if it’s going to be done at all, then it ought to be done in time for people to vote in the referendum.”

Unfortunately, Prime Minister David Cameron does not see it that way, and will only countenance allowing long-term expats the chance to influence UK politics after the thorny issue of EU membership is put to bed.

The decision drew scorn from the Liberal Democrats, with Giles Goodall, chairman of Brussels and Europe Lib Dems, saying: “We strongly welcome the government’s plan to end the disenfranchisement of British citizens abroad, as the Liberal Democrats called for in our general election manifesto. The 15-year rule is an anomaly that must be brought to an end.

“However, it is disgraceful that the government does not see fit to give this very same group the right to vote on our future membership of the European Union, despite the fact that the future residence of around two million Brits living in other EU countries will be directly affected by the vote.”

The government has said that it will do all it can to avoid a repeat of the fiasco that surrounded the general election, where many thousands of British expats were unable to vote in time due to delays with postal vote ballot papers.

The Votes for Life Bill will “make it easier for overseas electors to cast their votes in time to be counted,” the Tories said.