Throughout his time in the Lords, Alistair Lexden has argued the case for extending the right to vote in parliamentary elections to all our fellow countrymen and women living abroad by sweeping away the current rule under which that right comes to an end after fifteen years’ absence. By introducing votes for life, we would bring ourselves into line with other major democracies who recognise that in today’s interdependent world people retain close ties—through their families, employers, taxes, pensions and so on-- with the nation of which they are citizens, no matter however long they have lived outside it.They can follow their nation’s affairs readily day by day through modern methods of communication.
The Conservative Party’s general election manifesto last year contained a commitment to give British citizens living overseas votes for life.At oral question time in the Lords on October 20 Alistair Lexden expressed concern that legislation to give effect to that commitment had not yet been introduced. He asked for a firm pledge from the government that all those living abroad would be eligible to vote in the next general election.
The government minister who replied to him had “good news” to report—namely, the publication of a policy document which “ sets out in detail how we plan to remove the current rule”. She went on to say that it is the government’s “intention to have the new arrangements in place ahead of the next scheduled elction in 2020.”