Palma.Taking advantage of the fact that the Prime Minister is currently on holiday with his family in the north east of the island, Niblett said yesterday that as far as many Conservative expatriates are concerned, the burning issue is scrapping the 15-year voting rule introduced by the former Labour Government. I have met and addressed many Conservative expatriates at international conferences and there is a very wide consensus that this rule needs to be abolished. Cameron should take into account that there are 2.5 million Britons living overseas, that is the same size as the population of the conurbation of the West Midlands. But, those who have lived abroad for over 15 years no longer have a voice or a vote in the United Kingdom and we consider that unfair. Nor it is good for the Conservative party. Had there been no 15-year rule in place at the last election, Cameron could have picked up an extra 16 seats and that would have given him an absolute majority. Those seats which we lost by just a few hundred votes could, and I am sure would, have been secured with the overseas vote, Niblett said yesterday. It is discriminatory and unfair considering we have all spent our lives paying taxes in the UK but are then stripped of our right to vote after 15 years, he added.
Conservatives Abroad call on Cameron to abolish voting rules
23/08/2013 00:00
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