Conservative Party Chairman Grant Shapps today committed the next Conservative government to abolishing the rule which deprives British expats of their vote in the UK after they have been away for more than 15 years.
Since Labour imposed the rule in 2002, hundreds of thousands of Britons living abroad have been deprived of their vote.
Conservatives Abroad have been campaigning hard within the party to bring about this change.
”Ever since Labour cut the length of time that British Citizens overseas had to exercise their vote, Conservatives Abroad has been leading the campaign to restore voting rights to British expats” said Conservatives Abroad National Chairman, Heather Harper. “ It’s great result that the Party has listened to us and included this in the Conservative Manifesto so that that millions of expats, of all political persuasions, will be included in the democratic process again.’
The change will only come about if there is a Conservative majority government in 2015. Amendments to abolish the 15 year rule, tabled by Conservative Peers to legislation in 2013, were unsuccessful due to lack of support from Labour and Liberal Democrat peers.
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