Voting in Britain for little or nothing

“We were denied the vote in the Brexit referendum, don´t expect us to vote now!”

Expats now have the vote for life | Photo: PETER CZIBORRA

Jason MoorePalma21/06/2024 12:51

Ever since I can remember there has been a drive to get the vote for life for expats (instead of the 15 year rule) and even their own Member of Parliament or even a Junior Minister. Expats now have the vote for life but there appears to be little appetite to vote. To be honest I can see their point.

They were unable to vote in the big one, the Brexit referendum, therefore all the rest appears to be rather pointless. Brexit has changed their lives; scores of new rules and regulations have come in and they were unable to have their say. The result of the British election is not in doubt, it is just a question of by how many seats Sir Keir Starmer's Labour party will win by.

The Conservatives have not exactly won the hearts and minds of expats despite the introduction of votes for life; afterall they were the party which gave us Brexit and the 90 day rule and new residence cards and fewer rights. I will always support the idea of expats voting in British general elections because what the British government decides will have an impact on the lives of expats.

Also, sometimes you do get the impression that we are the “forgotten Britons” because we live abroad. A sensible approach is needed when it comes to expat voting rights. It needs all party support. The general impression is that all expats will vote Conservatives, this is far from the case. Many expats even supported Brexit. A vote should be treasured and used when you want.