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European Union

EU Referendum Bill Excludes Millions of Citizens and 16-Year-Olds from Voting

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The British government's EU referendum bill will maintain the existing franchise for the EU referendum, excluding millions of citizens living abroad and 16- and 17-year-olds from voting. The bill, expected to be announced after the Queen's speech on Wednesday, will define the franchise as adults from the age of 18, Irish and Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK, and British citizens who have lived abroad for less than 15 years. This means over 1 million EU citizens living in Britain will be denied the right to vote. The decision has been welcomed by Eurosceptic campaigners, while Labour and the SNP plan to challenge the bill, aiming to extend the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds.

Key Takeaways:

  • The EU referendum bill will exclude millions of EU citizens living in Britain from voting, despite their contributions to the country's economy and society.
  • The bill will also deny the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, an idea backed by Labour and the SNP, who argue that these age groups have a "tremendous vested interest" in the outcome of the referendum.
  • The Conservative party chairman, Grant Shapps, made a promise in September last year to extend the right to vote to British citizens living abroad, but this has been ruled out in the final bill.
  • The bill will introduce a provision for a referendum on Britain's membership of the EU before 2017, as promised by the Conservative party before the general election.
  • Labour plans to join forces with the SNP to try to amend the bill in the Lords, given the relatively small number of Tory rebels needed to defeat the government in the Commons.

Statistics:

  • Over 1 million EU citizens living in Britain will be denied the right to vote in the EU referendum.
  • 16- and 17-year-olds will be excluded from voting, making up approximately 330,000 potential voters.
  • The number of years a British citizen can live abroad while still retaining voting rights has been reduced to 15 years, from 20 years in 2000.
  • The Conservative party's promise to extend the right to vote to British citizens living abroad for life will not be fulfilled, despite Grant Shapps' statement in September last year.

Sources:

  • "UK to rule out EU referendum vote for expatriate Britons" by The Guardian.
  • "Labour to push for votes for 16-year-olds in EU referendum" by The Guardian.
  • "The EU referendum bill" by BBC News.

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