Minister for the Constitution Chris Skidmore has finally published the details of giving British expats who have lived overseas for more than 15 years the right to vote in some UK elections.
The measure will give all expats were UK resident or registered on the electoral roll the right to vote in Parliamentary elections.
But expats still will not have a vote in local elections, polls for police or crime commissioners or devolved assembly elections in Scotland or Wales.
Whether referendum votes are allowed will depend on government policy decisions at the time.
“British citizens living abroad retain strong links with the United Kingdom,” said the minister.
Policy statement
“They may have family here, and indeed they may plan to return here in the future. Equally, there are many British citizens abroad who have fought for our country, dedicating their lives to our armed services. Their stake in our country must be respected.
“This government will not deny them the opportunity to have their say in the way their country is governed. That is why I am proud to be setting out in this document the detail of the Government’s approach to implementing votes for life.”
The policy statement is the culmination of years of campaigning for a vote by expat groups around the world – and the fruition of manifesto pledges from the Conservatives that have taken years to reach the light of day.
Manifesto promise
First promised by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2011, the move was ditched to appease Lib Dem coalition allies.
The policy was included in the 2015 manifesto, but Cameron refused to bring forward the legislation to give expats the vote until after the European Union referendum in June 2016. He did promise to enact the vote before the end of the current Parliament.
The published policy document gives a lot of detail about how registration and voting will work, but still does not give a starting date.
The World Bank reckons at least 5.5 million British expats live permanently overseas, with around a third resident in European Union states.
