Recently a number of constituents have written to
be about extending the right to vote to UK residents who do not hold UK citizenship
and UK citizens who are no longer residing in the UK.
I agree that UK citizens who live abroad ought to
be given the right to vote. They are currently entitled to be registered to
vote in UK Parliamentary elections for up to 15 years in the constituency they
were registered in before leaving the UK.
The Government has committed to end the 15-year
limit and introduce 'votes for life' in order to fulfil a key Conservative
manifesto pledge.
Glyn Davies MP’s Overseas Electors Private Members
Bill is currently making its way through Parliament and I am glad to say that I
will be supporting Glyn to ensure that all Britons living abroad have a say
over the government and policies of the country they are proud citizens ok.
However, I am cautious about extending the same
voting rights to non-UK nationals, regardless of whether they are long term
residents in this country or not.
British electoral law already provides for the
citizens of nearly fifty Commonwealth countries, British Dependent Territories,
and the Republic of Ireland to vote in both local and general elections in the
UK.
Citizens of other EU countries may vote in the
upcoming European Parliamentary and local elections but not in general
elections. There are reciprocal arrangements for British citizens resident in
other EU countries to vote in local elections.
Extending the right to vote in general elections
and referendums to non-UK nationals devalues the concept and importance of
citizenship.
Furthermore, the suggestion that up to 10 million
non-UK nationals could become full electors in the UK overnight means that we
would be even more susceptible to foreign influence in elections than we
already are.
For these reasons I believe that it would be a
mistake to extend the right to vote in general elections and referendums to all
UK residents regardless of their nationality.
