Britons who have settled overseas permanently are to be given a “vote for life” in British general elections, the government has announced.
The current 15-year limit will be scrapped as part of a bid to strengthen ties with expats abroad following the decision to leave the EU.
The plans, which will have to be ratified by both houses of parliament, were announced on Friday by Chris Skidmore, the minister for the constitution, and follow a campaign by the second world war veteran Harry Shindler.
“British citizens who move abroad remain a part of our democracy and it is important they have the ability to participate,” said Skidmore. “Following the British people’s decision to leave the EU, we now need to strengthen ties with countries around the world and show the UK is an outward-facing nation.
“Our expat community has an important role to play in helping Britain expand international trade, especially given two-thirds of expats live outside the EU.
“Expats retain strong links with the United Kingdom: they may have family here, and indeed they may plan to return here in the future. Modern technology and cheaper air travel has transformed the ability of expats to keep in touch with their home country.”
Shindler, a veteran of the Battle of Anzio, has been campaigning for UK expat voting rights for many years. He said he was “pleased and grateful that Theresa May has committed to giving expats a vote by 2020”.
The 95-year-old, who moved to Italy to be near his grandson in 1982, has been unable to vote in the UK since 1997 but cannot vote in Italy either.
He mounted a legal challenge earlier this year alongside Jacquelyn MacLennan, who lives in Belgium, when it emerged they would not be able to vote in the EU referendum. However, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones ruled it did not restrict their rights and rejected their application for judicial review.
It is believed up to 1 million Britons could benefit from the change in the law.
