HEALTHPLAN MAGAZINE

British expats who have lived abroad for more than 15 years will be able to vote in UK elections.

The ‘Votes for Life’ bill has passed a critical stage in the House of Lords, meaning that British nationals that have lived overseas for more than 15 years will get the right to vote in local and general elections in the UK.

Lord Lexden, who is an advocate of the bill, said: “Three manifestos, and now close to being delivered. The bill is expected to become law before the (now imminent) end of the current session.”

The move will see the Conservative party deliver a promise that was made in successive election manifestos and will also put an end to a 20 year battle by centenarian Harry Schindler, who back in 2016 and 2018, challenged the current ruling in both the High Court and the European Court of Justice respectively.

Mr Schindler, who lives in Rome said: “I am delighted and pleased this is nearly over. We are a democracy, but not a complete democracy while we didn’t have the right to vote. I’ve been campaigning for this for the last 18 years. And although it has to go back to the House of Commons, it’s now as good as a done deed. This is a historic moment and Britons all over the world will be celebrating.”

Amendments were made to the election bill after it was discussed and then it was passed through the committee stage in the House of Lords. The bill will now advance to the report stage, where it will be examined carefully for any loopholes, before going to a final vote in the House of Commons.

Last year Hugh Elliott, the British Ambassador for Spain, said “In an increasingly connected world, most British citizens living in Spain retain deep ties to the UK. Many still have family there, worked there for many years, and some have even fought in our country.”

And although many see this as good news, some still see it as a “mishmash of rights” and forecast additional changes in a few years' time.

Paul Scriven, a Liberal Democrat peer, said, “Can the minister explain how that would be perceived as fair and a good platform for our electoral process? People who have not lived here for 50 years will have the right to vote and influence government policy, even though it does not directly affect them.”

Another Lib Dem, William Wallace, said that the UK government “did not go far enough to rationalise the tangle of voting rights left by imperial history, that gave voting rights to some foreign nationals such as Commonwealth citizens but not others.”

As well as having the right to vote in UK elections, the new ruling will mean that British expats will be allowed to stay on the UK Electoral Roll for longer, without having to renew their details. Currently, this has to be done yearly, but under the new law, this will be every three years.

Another change in the bill will see electors being able to reapply for a postal vote or renew their proxy vote, at the same time as renewing their voter registration.

Both of these changes will be included in the Elections Bill, which MPs will vote on in the UK parliament.

This new move would give approximately 3 million Britons who are working overseas or have retired, the right to vote.

Source

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/31/britons-living-overseas-for-15-years-get-the-right-to-vote-in-uk-elections
https://murciatoday.com/uk_expats_living_abroad_for_over_15_years_will_be_able_to_vote_in_elections_1757284-a.html