鈥楾hanks for not voting for me鈥� says Briton In France
A Brittany resident is claiming a 鈥渕assive majority鈥� after standing against Boris Johnson in the general election in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
William Tobin told Connexion: 鈥淭he number that heeded Mr de Pfeffel Johnson鈥檚 call to vote for him was 25,351, whereas the number that heeded my call not to vote for me was 70,369.鈥�
Mr Tobin, 66, a retired physics lecturer, stood under the slogan 鈥渄on鈥檛 vote for Tobin, let Tobin vote鈥� and said that, with just five votes, he obtained 2019鈥檚 lowest score.
A keen Remainer, he had invited supporters to vote for other Remain-oriented parties, not for him, and to urge all candidates to end the 15-year limit on expatriate votes.
He was able to stand, despite having lost his vote for living out of the UK for more than 15 years, by obtaining 10 support signatures in the constituency and designating a friend鈥檚 house as his constituency office.
鈥淢ore seriously, I trust the Tories will finally and rapidly enact their Votes for Life promise, repeated in their 2019 manifesto,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he government has signed reciprocal post-Brexit voting agreements for local elections with Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain. I hope these are extended to other countries, both inside and outside the EU.鈥�
He said it was 鈥渜uite an experience鈥� to stand in the election and he wished to thank friends and family, and those who donated to a crowdfunder towards his expenses. 鈥淢eeting citizens at the doorstep and on the street was an eye-opener. I met many foreign nationals thirsty for voting rights.鈥�
See also: Briton in France stands against PM Boris Johnson
