Conservatives release video calling for the British expat vote in Spain

Lord Cameron has enjoyed family holidays in Mallorca

Lord Cameron and his wife Samantha enjoying a coffee on Pollensa.

Humphrey CarterPalma03/06/2024 10:49

The Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, who came on holiday to Puerto Pollensa with his family in 2012 has released a video calling for the British expat vote. Over three million British citizens living abroad have regained their right to vote in British General Elections and referendums following the implementation of the Elections Act 2022. This represents the biggest increase in the British electoral franchise since the introduction of full female suffrage in 1928.

In January , the arbitrary 15-year limit on voting rights was scrapped and British citizens worldwide have been able to register to vote online regardless of how long they have been overseas. This is linked to the last UK address they were either registered to vote at or lived at.

And, the leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer is no stranger to Mallorca either. In August 2022, enjoyed a break away from Westminster in Mallorca with his wife Victoria and their two children as the economic slump in the UK deepened. Starmer spent a few days at a luxury hotel in Puerto Soller while coming under fire for having gone “missing in action”. Some backbench Labour MPs criticised Sir Keir for being on holiday as the crisis over skyrocketing energy bills - driven by global economic turmoil - deepened this week.

When asked about discontent within his party over his response, Sir Keir said Labour had proposed policies such as a windfall tax on the excess profits of oil and gas companies and cutting VAT on energy bills months ago, long before they were on the government’s radar. “For the best part of 12 months, Labour has been absolutely leading on this issue,“ Sir Keir said. “And I’m very proud of the work we’ve done.”