Brits living abroad for more than 15 years get vote - BBC News
Brits living abroad for more than 15 years get vote - BBC News
The rule change will see around two million more people eligible to register for a vote.
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But why? The cut-off was already very generous at 15 years. How can you live outside of a country for that long and still want to have your views represented?
Because this war veteran who didn't know what on earth he was fighting for (apparently to bring votes to Europe?) shamed the government into reversing the decision.
The change follows a long campaign by World War Two veteran Harry Shindler, who left the UK to live in Italy around 40 years ago.
Speaking to the BBC in 2011, he said: "There was a war to bring the vote to the people of Europe. We won the war, but some of the people who took part in the war, me included, are not allowed to vote themselves."
In 2021, he welcomed the news that the government was changing the rules calling it an "important day for freedom".
I agree 15 years is more than plenty and I suspect the reason is purely down to how this will benefit the current party in power. It's also cynically timed close enough to the election that reversing it would seem petty.