Harry Shindler 1922-2023

British in Europe is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the great Harry Shindler OBE in Italy at the age of 101.

Harry led a truly remarkable life and leaves as his legacy a lifetime of public service in the UK before he retired but also in support of his fellow British servicemen, and British citizens abroad after his retirement.

Members of British in Europe worked closely with Harry for over a decade on a campaign to repeal the so-called 15-year rule and return lifelong voting rights in UK national elections to all British citizens living overseas, no matter how long they have lived outside the UK. The Elections Act repealing the rule received royal assent in April 2022 but secondary legislation is still required to implement the Act’s provisions.

Jane Golding, co-chair of British in Europe who met and worked with Harry closely said,

"Harry was a wonderful person full of energy, humour, determination and someone who simply never gave up. He was an inspiration to me personally and to all of us at BiE. He saw it as his mission to improve the lives of his fellow citizens, and to honour the memory of those who gave their lives for us, as well as to make sure that they were not forgotten by the younger generation. It was an honour and a privilege to know him, and to be able to work with him - I learnt so much from him about speaking truth to power. We will continue our campaign to obtain the secondary legislation needed to ensure that Harry’s legacy is secured and his twenty year fight for lifelong voting rights for all British citizens is finally successful."