Votes for life campaigners get another chance to force government change

If you’ve decided to relocate overseas on a permanent basis, are your long-term UK voting rights important to you?

Many British expats who up sticks and relocate are determined not to care what goes on in their country of birth, but Brexit has overturned much of their resolve. It’s too late to attempt to speculate over whether the Remain camp would have won should all those long-term expats had the chance to vote, but the fact they were formally excluded from any say in their own futures is inescapable. Many are now wondering what further changes they might want to be a part of staving off before it’s too late.

The fight to reverse the hated 15-year disenfranchisement law has been ongoing for decades despite a number of empty promises from government, with its instigator, 96-year old Harry Shindler. actually turning up at Westminster earlier this month to promote the latest attempt to kill the bill via use of the Overseas Electors Bill 2017-2019. Its second reading is due to take place on February 23, and is a Private Members’ Bill introduced by Welsh lawmaker Glynn Davis rather than a bill promoting government policy.

Brian Cave, campaigner for the British group ECREU, told the media he believes if enough MPs actually attend the debate it’s possible the government might finally give in and conceded victory to the disenfranchised expats, adding that many are feeling abandoned by their government. Cave is urging all those in favour of the bill to write to their former MPs begging them to attend the debate. He feels writing a letter is more effective than simply sending an email, as MPs are swamped with emails and rarely read them personally.

During Mr Shindler’s visit to Westminster, he met with several MPs including David Davis and Minister for the Constitution Chloe Smith. Last week, Smith reaffirmed yet again the government’s intention to get rid of the 15-year rule, but supporters of the campaign could well be forgiven for muttering various versions of ‘believe it when I see it’, in spite of Smith’s promise that the government is about to publish details of their plans for the bill prior tp the 2022 general election.