Whitehall Blocks Expat Voting Rights Change to Maintain 15-Year Rule

Whitehall Blocks Expat Voting Rights Change to Maintain 15-Year Rule.

Its a sad state of affairs that Britain continues to keep outdated laws 

Long-term British expats living in Spain and all over Europe who are hoping to be able to vote in British general elections will no doubt be disappointed by the decision Whitehall took to reject the proposed changes to the 15-Year Law. David Cameron promised to get rid of the controversial 15-Year Rule that said expats who had lived outside of the country for over 15 years could no longer vote in general elections. It seems like his promise has been overturned by the new government that replaced the former Prime Minister.

Whitehall ministers have said they feel that changing the law would be too complex and will instead be maintaining the status quo now that David Cameron, who pledged to change the rule as part of his 2015 election manifesto, is no longer in charge. The change was also intended to enable those expats to vote in the EU Referendum. With that in the rear-view mirror politicians see the rule as less of an issue now.

Cameron made the promise when he called out for long-term expats to vote for him and his Conservative Party during the last general election. The promise went on the backburner after Cameron secured his second term. Instead Cameron chose to make his promise of an EU Referendum a priority.

The irony of this choice is that if Cameron HAD changed the law before the Referendum then he could still very well be in power and the UK would likely still be part of the EU as those expats would most likely have voted, and voted in their droves, to stay in the EU.

The Daily Mail is reporting that the issue is once again being put on the shelf now that Cameron has gone and the UK is attempting to avoid the Brexit and it seems the wave of brits wanting to move to places like spain is even on the up!  Geoffrey Clinton-Brown, one of the campaigners who hoped to change the law, believes that civil servants dislike the idea of difficult changes. Whitehall say that one of the difficulties in changing the rules is that electoral registers are only kept for 15 years. As such it would become difficult to find out which constituency these long-term expats used to live in. Cliff-Brown believes that this just an excuse to stall the issue.

The U-turn is actual a contradiction of the Tory party line they’ve been touting for over two years. The former Party chairman Grant Shapps said that British citizens are Brits for life. They will always have the right to be protected by the military and travel on a British passport and that the Tory party believes it should also give them the lifelong right to vote.

The Daily Mail is also reporting that a former Foreign Office Minister has now admitted that making the change would be more complex than it was first thought it would be. This difficulty, combined with the lack of political will by the government, has left many expats unable to vote with no change in sight.

The Commons Leader David Lidington says that the matter is more complex than it appears. The change would mean having to create a new system of voter registration which is difficult because of the lack of voter registers from over 15 years ago. The government would need to find a way to allocate people to constituencies and then prove that they lived where they say they did.

Clifton-Brown is refusing to accept any of their excuses. He says that it shouldn’t be too difficult for people to provide some evidence that they used to I've where they say they did. There are many ways to do this including doctor’s notes, passport numbers, and National Insurance notes. He believes any of these can, and should, be used as proof of address.

One thing is for sure, Brits will still keep moving out of the UK to southern Europe regardless whether they can vote or not as the healthier lifestyle and the cost of living in places like spain coupled with the amazing 320 days of sunshine will always temp people away from the wet and dismal uk.

Irishwoman Awarded MBE for Campaigning for Expat Rights in Spain

Irishwoman Awarded MBE for Campaigning for Expat Rights in Spain

Maura Hillen, who has been campaigning since 2008 for the legalisation of illegal properties has been awarded in MBE in recognition of her services to the British community living and working in Spain.

Maura Hillen has worked tirelessly since 2008  for

property owners rights

Maura Hillen MBE is the head of the Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora No! (AUAN) body and she has campaigned at the local, regional, and even national level for the rights of over 500 expats who purchased property in the Amanzora valley in Almeria in good faith.

These expats, most of whom were British, would later find out that the properties were built illegally and could be demolished by the Spanish authorities; something that would leave them without a home and without any money.

The AUAN group fought to have basic amenities, such as electricity and water, approved for the properties. Her appeals worked their way through the Spanish courts as she acted as a go between for information between the council and the homeowners.

The results of her campaigning where shown in 2015 when the government introduced a major piece of legislation urging Spanish judges to remember that the homeowners themselves are innocent and that they were conned into buying the homes without realising they were illegal.

This legislation means that if the authorities to decide to demolish the property the buyers will be compensated at least.

Simon Manley, the British ambassador to Spain, was pleased by the decision to award Hillen with an MBE. He spoke of how tirelessly Hillen has campaigned to resolve the property problems that were affecting thousands of British buyers. The thanked Her Majesty the Queen for approving the honour.

He also added that Hillen has guided AUAN to become a well run and respected organisation that is managing to provide expert legal advice and realistic solutions to the regional and national authorities in Spain.

Manley added that the success of AUAN is a great sign that the broken legal system that was failing to recognise the rights of the homeowners or compensate them could be changed for the better.

Hillen was delighted to receive the award. She accepted the award on behalf of every member of AUAN who campaigned alongside her, especially the committee members and the former presidents of AUAN.

Buying property in Spain can have its pitfalls however with stricter laws now in place and having the correct searches made by your lawyer the days of being duped into buying an illegal property are being minimised.