Press Release: Get Ready to Vote!

Key points

2 mn Brits living abroad regain right to vote in UK elections

Other democracies that allow votes for life include the USA, France, Italy and Canada

British in Europe partnering with Electoral Commission on its voter awareness and registration campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BERLIN - 16/01/24 - Around 2 million British citizens living overseas will regain their right to vote in UK elections due to legal changes that take effect from 16th January. The end of the so-called 15-year rule means that Brits who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years will now be eligible to vote in the 2024 General Election.

This brings the UK in line with other modern democracies that grant their nationals living abroad votes for life. These include the U.S.A, France, Italy and Canada.

Jane Golding Co-chair of campaign group, British in Europe said:

‘Voting is a basic citizenship right regardless of where someone lives. This is a historic change to the UK franchise after years of campaigning by ourselves and others, particularly long-term campaigner Harry Shindler, who sadly died before he could use his hard-won vote.’

Who are the Brits abroad?

There are approximately 4.7mn British citizens living abroad as the UK has one of the largest diasporas globally. They are affected by changes to UK legislation and share many of the same electoral concerns as the resident population including:

• Health and social care for elderly relatives

• The housing and cost of living crises, as well as education policy, for children living in the UK

• Recent changes to the minimum income requirements under immigration rules make it difficult for many to return to the UK if they have a non-UK spouse.

Diasporas are typically more progressive than a country’s resident population. A 2019 University of Sussex survey of the diaspora in Europe suggested that this was the case for Brits in Europe. A 2023 British in Europe survey of 7100 overseas citizens in 65 countries also showed support for progressive policies such as proportional representation.

Voter awareness and registration campaign

British in Europe is partnering with the Electoral Commission on its voter awareness and registration campaign. The aim is to help long-term overseas Brits register in the constituency where they were last registered or lived.

For more information about the campaign please click here.

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About British in Europe

British in Europe campaigned during the EU-UK negotiations on the UK’s Exit from the EU to protect the EU citizenship rights of UK nationals in the EU, EEA and Switzerland.

It has since worked on the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement rights and the rights of UK citizens in the EU.

BiE has also long campaigned to reinstate lifelong voting rights in the UK for all British citizens. This was successful, and the Elections Act 2022 restored lifelong voting rights for UK citizens living overseas.

An estimated 2.2 million UK citizens living overseas will be re-enfranchised. In 2016, more than 60% of UK citizens living in the EU had no vote in the UK EU referendum that led to the removal of their EU citizenship rights and changed their lives forever.

Press contact

Laura Shields: +32 (0) 497 409 884

laura.shields@britishineurope.org

Twitter/X: @mediawhizz