Expat Voting Rights Raised in British House of Lords

Expat Globe

The Electoral Registration and Administration Bill is currently being debated in the British House of Lords and one peer took it upon himself to raise the issue of expatriate voting rights.

The Conservative Lord Lexden raised the issue and found support from fellow Tories Lord Norton of Louth and Lord Flight.

Whilst elsewhere in the European Union 22 out of 27 countries allow their expats to vote without restriction, the United Kingdom strips its expatriate community of the right to vote after a 15 year absence.

"My principal purpose is to draw attention to a grave injustice that afflicts large numbers of our fellow countrymen and women living overseas and is keenly felt by many of them," Lord Lexden said.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble replied to Lord Lexden saying,that the 15 year limit “remains under consideration within government”.

Lord Lexden added, “I listened with particular care to the minister’s speech and noted one or two encouraging points. Overall, however, I listened with some disappointment."

One France based British expat who has long campaigned for electoral rights for British expats Brian Cave told The Telegraph, "Over one million British citizens who live in Europe - of which 450,000 are pensioners - and should surely have the chance to voice their views”