鈥楧on鈥檛 block lifetime votes鈥� says Harry Shindler
Second world war veteran and campaigner for the rights of Britons in the EU Harry Shindler made a plea to the British Labour Party not to try to hold up the progress of a bill enfranchising all expatriates.
He said that as the party鈥檚 longest-serving member he was ashamed that Labour members recently tried to stop the bill at a 鈥榤oney bill鈥� stage [a formality to ensure measures in a bill can be budgeted for].
He said voting for all expatriates, promised in the last two Conservative manifestos, was a 鈥渘ot a political issue鈥� but an 鈥渆lementary right鈥�.
On going to press the bill was under discussion by a committee of MPs, after an eight-month delay since it had a second reading debate in the House of Commons.
The government had decided to support a private member鈥檚 bill on the topic rather than introduce its own, however such bills have limited opportunities for debate. It is not expected to finish all stages in time for any new referendum or snap election.
British Community Committee of France chairman Christopher Chantrey said: 鈥淭he 鈥榰pskirting鈥� bill [penalising people who take indecent photographs of women] was originally a Private Member鈥檚 bill but Theresa May very soon backed it and it got real government support.
That is what she should be doing to the Votes for Life Bill.鈥�
