Theresa May has promised to uphold a Tory manifesto pledge to scrap the 15-year voting rule for British expats.
The Cabinet Office – the Prime Minister’s ministers and civil servants who manage policy, security and the constitution – has written to expat Brian Cave to confirm the government intends to remove the voting bar.
In the letter, Michael Travers of the Cabinet Office explains that a bill is due to be put before Parliament to lift the voting restriction for British expats before the next General Election, although no final date was offered for when the bill will be placed before MPs.
“The government has plans to remove the restriction on overseas voting rights which were set out in their manifesto for this parliament in May 2015,” wrote Travers.
“This will be delivered as a government bill once policy details are finalised and a suitable slot in the legislative timetable is identified.
Legal challenges
“We are making steady progress on both these points and subject to Parliamentary approval, this will be in place before the next Parliamentary elections.”
Voting rights for expats is a hot topic, with campaigners arguing that expats should have an unrestricted franchise wherever they live in the world.
Close to 5.5 million British expats live in almost 200 different countries. Although only a proportion have remained outside the UK for 15 years or more, they still represent a group larger than any UK Parliamentary constituency.
Before the Brexit referendum, two expats – Harry Shindler and Jacquelyn MacLennan – took on the government after MPs voted to deny a vote over Britain remaining in or leaving the European Union.
No guarantees
The legal challenge ended in the Supreme Court after judges rejected the expat appeal after rulings in the High Court and Court of Appeal went against them.
Another case protesting directly against the 15-year rule was denied against expat James Preston in the Court of Appeal in July 2012.
His lawyers argued that British citizens were penalised by the rule if they exercised their rights of freedom of movement within the European Union.
Although the Cabinet Office has promised to draft a bill to scrap the rule, the letter does not guarantee the measure, so if the government considers other legislation a priority, a vote on scrapping the rule may not take place in the current Parliament.
