EU Nationals Voting Rights

2020-02-27

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Questions & Answers

Q1 Direct Answer
Lloyd Russell-Moyle Lab
Barnsley East
Context
The Representation of the People Act 1918 restricts voting rights to UK citizens and Commonwealth citizens.
Why do we not give the right to vote to EU citizens, who may have lived here for 20 years, paying tax throughout that time? Do the Government not believe in representation and taxation?
First, it is right to pay tribute to the contribution to this country that EU citizens make, have made and will continue to make in the future. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and other Ministers have set out, we welcome that contribution to the life of our nation, and we are making the settled status scheme available in order to further it. However, as far as we are aware, no other EU member state currently allows non-nationals to vote in national elections—besides Ireland, which has a long-standing bilateral agreement with the UK—so we think our approach is reasonable.
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