British expats can vote on EU referendum, says Cameron

Will the UK opt for the EU exit door, or choose to remain?

It is a vote that is likely to determine the very future of the United Kingdom, let alone its relationship with Europe – and it is a vote that British citizens who have lived abroad for less than 15 years are allowed to have a say in.

The EU referendum, which was promised to the British public by the new Conservative government, is to be a simple In/Out vote on the question of whether the UK should remain in, or leave, the European Union…

The vote is scheduled to take place before the end of 2017, and could be held as early as next year, and Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that all British nationals who have been living overseas for less than 15 years will be entitled to have their say.

Just like voting in general elections, British expats who have resided abroad for more than 15 years will be ineligible to vote, but everyone else who holds a British passport will be allowed to place their vote in the unprecedented referendum.

Interestingly, most non-UK EU citizens who currently live and work in the UK will not be able to vote in the referendum, which is being pitched as a final ultimatum on the question of the UK’s role in the EU.

In the Queen’s speech opening Parliament this week, the EU Referendum Bill confirmed this voting eligibility, which will be extended to include Gibraltarians (who currently cannot vote in general elections), as well as Irish and Commonwealth citizens who currently live in the UK. This will include Australians, New Zealanders, and people from Cyprus and Malta.

“David Cameron has been true to his word to the people of Gibraltar and, as a British part of the EU, our voice will be heard as part of the franchise for this seminal exercise in democracy,” said Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

It is estimated that there are around one million EU nationals currently residing in the UK, the majority of whom will have no say in the future direction of the country that they now call home.

Prior to the referendum, David Cameron is due to meet with high-ranking EU officials to try to push through a series of proposed reforms that, the PM says, could alter the Tories’ stance on EU membership should the UK be granted more favourable terms.

Opinion polls held among British expats in Spain appear to show that the majority would vote, unsurprisingly, to keep the UK in the EU.