Lord Norton fights for “neglected voters”
British nationals living abroad are neglected voters Conservative Lord Norton of Louth has told peers in a debate he initiated on the electoral registration of British citizens living abroad which took place on November 26th.
Lord Norton, who chaired a cross-party group to look into this issue and is a member of the Conservative BackBench Group for the rights of Britons living abroad, said that “many nations recognise and treat their citizens overseas as a major asset and actively solicit their engagement. In contrast, UK citizens living abroad are an untapped asset. Indeed, they are a largely ignored asset”.
He outlined the seven recommendations in the group’s report “Making Votes Count” which was published in March this year. These included difficulty in identifying eligible expat voters; poor communication; practical difficulties in registering and voting; split responsibility in government for expat voters; lack of consistency in embassies and consulates; an absence of incentives; and absence of political will.
He concluded that if the political will is there then many of the practical problems could be overcome.
Lord Norton was supported by Conservative peers Lord Lexden and Lord Astor. Lord Lexden stressed the need for a co-ordinating Minister and lamented the low and worsening level of registration. Lord Astor called for the next Conservative government to remove the 15 year rule.
The Liberal Democrat Minister, Lord Wallace, welcomed the report and the debate but was unable to give assurances on the issues raised.
On December 2nd, Conservative Party Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Conservative BackBench Group for the rights of Britons living abroad, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, will propose a 10 Minute Rule Bill seeking to abolish before the 2015 election the rule that prevents Britons from voting if they have lived abroad for more than 15 years.
Lord Norton’s debate can be read in full here