London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Labour considers extending voting rights to EU citizens

Labour considers extending voting rights to EU citizens

Labour is considering extending voting rights to some EU citizens living in the UK if the party wins the next general election.
The party is working on a package of proposals, including votes for some EU nationals and 16 and 17-year-olds in general elections.

In 2020, Labour's leader Sir Keir Starmer called for all EU nationals to be given full voting rights in the UK.

But Labour said no final policy decisions had been made.

Labour's shadow business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said the party's policy on the issue had been the subject of speculation and discussions about this were "part of our manifesto process".

"We do want to strengthen our democracy," Mr Reynolds told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. "We believe if people make a contribution to this country, if they live here, there's an argument for having them involved in [the democratic] process."

The Conservative Party said Labour's plan to give foreign nationals the vote at parliamentary elections "is laying the groundwork to drag the UK back into the EU by stealth".

"The right to vote in parliamentary elections and choose the next UK government is rightly restricted to British citizens and those with the closest historical links to our country," Conservative Party Chairman Greg Hands said.

Currently, EU nationals who are legally resident in the UK can vote in local and devolved elections but not general elections.

A Labour source said the party was thinking about proposals "that will enable people who live and contribute long-term to our society to be able to have their say in how the country is governed".

The source said Sir Keir believes it is "fair and right" to give those people a voice in elections.

But the source said the details of the proposals have not yet been decided, despite suggestions made in newspaper reports by the Financial Times and the Sunday Telegraph.

There are an estimated 3.4 million EU nationals with settled status in the UK, and a further 2.7m with pre-settled status.

Settled status allows EU citizen to continue to live, work and study in the UK on an indefinite basis, while pre-settled status is a grant of temporary residence for five years.

The idea of extending the franchise to more EU nationals in the UK is controversial, with the Conservatives branding such a move "an attempt to rig the electorate to re-join the EU".

When Sir Keir was running to be Labour leader in 2020, he said the "government should give all three million EU nationals living in the UK full voting rights in future elections".

"We were never just 'tolerating' EU citizens living in this country - they are our neighbours, friends and families," Sir Keir wrote in an op-ed for the Guardian. "To see their status in doubt devastates our sense not just of justice but also of fellowship."

Labour's 2019 manifesto included a commitment to "oversee the largest extension of the franchise in generations" by lowering the voting age to 16 and giving "full voting rights to all UK residents".

As the party looks ahead to the next general election, it is deciding what reforms on voting rights to propose in its manifesto.

The BBC has been told Labour's package of proposals will include the introduction of votes for 16- and 17-year-olds, in line with Scotland and Wales.

At the moment, 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed to vote in elections for the Scottish and Welsh devolved parliaments, but cannot vote in general elections.

A commitment to lower the voting age to 16 was included in both Labour's 2015 and 2017 manifestos.

The Greens and the Liberal Democrats also support lowering the voting age.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
South Korea's Brief Declaration of Martial Law
Unidentified Drones Spotted Over UK Airbases
Israel Offers $5 Million for Each Gaza Hostage Freed
"We Need A British Trump"- Former Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss
Make Orwell fiction again
CIA Official Arrested for Leaking Intelligence on Israel-Iran Conflict
Special counsel Jack Smith asks the court to dismiss his appeal regarding Trump in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
BORIS: UK May Deploy Troops If Trump Cuts Support to Ukraine
Trump Administration Taking Shape: No Invitations Issued to Nikki Haley or Mike Pompeo
Iranian Man Charged in Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump
£3 Billion of British Taxpayer Money Spent by UK Government on Hotel Costs for Migrants
Unlike the shock and profound sadness at 10 Downing Street, British citizens assembled for an impressive rally backing the elected President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Elon Musk Predicts Justin Trudeau's Electoral Defeat
Here's why: Scott Presley convinced swing voters in Pennsylvania with a clear and direct question.
Royal Estates Earning Millions from Public Services and Charities
Siemens Acquires Altair Engineering in $10.6 Billion Deal
The man who got hit by a bus and immediately went back to the pub is strong! Beer is very important.
Donald Trump files $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News, accusing them of 'deceptively doctoring' Kamala Harris' '60 Minutes' interview
Formal Address for Meghan Markle at Invictus Games
Understanding the US Electoral College System
Apple Launches AI Features on Select iPhones
JP Morgan Sued Customers Over Viral Cheque Fraud Scheme
King Charles to Continue Global Tours Despite Cancer Diagnosis
Venice Extends Tourist Entry Fee Program to 2025
Tommy Robinson Charged Under Terrorism Act for Phone Offence
Plans to Increase Employers' National Insurance Announced
Washington Post Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan has RESIGNED after owner Jeff Bezos BARRED the endorsement of Kamala Harris.
Massive Theft of Artisan Cheddar from Neal’s Yard Dairy
US Man Charged with Murder of Co-Worker over Breaks
Carbon Monoxide Incident Claims Lives at UK Care Home
Birmingham Airport Evacuated Due to Suspicious Vehicle
Former US President Barack Obama raps the lyrics to Eminem's ‘Lose Yourself’ after the rapper introduces him at a Kamala Harris rally in Detroit
KYIV URGES NORTH KOREAN TROOPS IN UKRAINE TO SURRENDER
Ofcom Identifies Link Between Social Media Posts and UK Unrest
Russian Boxer Receives Lifetime Ban for Illegal Move in Boxing Debut
Biden Labels Trump a Threat to Democracy
McDonald's Linked to E. coli Outbreak Leading to One Death
Teacher Enoch Burke arrested at Wilson’s Hospital School in Ireland after refusing to endorse and affirm transgender ideology.
FBI Investigates Leak of US Intelligence on Israeli Strike Plans
Israeli Airstrike Targets Hezbollah's Financial Resources
China’s Baidu is revolutionizing transportation with its robotaxi service
Angela Rayner Secures Permanent Seat on UK National Security Council
Russian Ambassador Claims UK's Proxy War in Ukraine
Doctor Advocates for Assisted Dying Law Reform
Ruth Davis Appointed as UK’s First Nature Envoy
Pressure Mounts on Starmer to Discuss Reparations at Commonwealth Summit
James Cleverly’s Costly In-Flight Catering for Government Trips
AI Regulation Takes Center Stage in 2024 US Presidential Campaign
NASA Study Explores Potential Microbial Life Beneath Mars' Ice
Cats: The Liquid-Like Pets
×