According
to the UK Office
of National Statistics, there has been
a steady flow of citizens leaving the
UK shores for many years. Roughly
one in ten of all UK citizens do not
actually live in the UK, any more.
Since the late 1990s every year,
roughly a third of all UK Emigrants
have left to head further into the EU.
Many have now settled across the
Eurozone and made it their home. In
2014, alone, over 10,000 British
Nationals moved to Spain.
Those who left in or before June
2001, however, have lost a critical
part of their citizenship. They might
still hold a UK passport, they might
still have tax liabilities in the UK, they
might get a UK pension and might
still be entitled to recieve the full
protection of the British Consulates
and the Foreign Office, but they may
no longer have a say in what happens
in the UK and how it will affect their
and their family’s future. The current
UK Government has pledged to return our vote, but that will not happen
in time for the EU In/Out election in
June.
However...
If you know anyone who moved here
from the UK after 2001 (ie who has
been here less than 15 years) they still
have time to register their vote for this
election. If they go to www.gov.uk/
register-to-vote there is a form that
can be sent to their old constituency.
Are you a
British Citizen who
moved to Spain
after June 2001?
If you voted in the last election you may
need to renew your Voter registration
before you will be able to vote in the
June Referndum - registration has to
be renewed every 12 months (Ten times
during the life of one British passport!
- I can feel another campaign, after we
all get the vote back).