Read the full text here of the Response to Lord Lexden 060715 Question from the “Votes for expat Brits” campaign team, which addresses specifically the following issues raised by Peers when debating the EU Referendum Question: UK Citizens Abroad – Lord Lexden in House of Lords, 6th July 2015:

1. “Whether donations can be made from income that has neither been earned in this country nor had UK tax paid on it” is not in any way related to British citizenship and the question of extending full voting rights to all such UK citizens overseas, particularly when very many of these expatriate citizens (e.g. all retired military, police, fire service, teachers, local authority retirees etc.) also continue to pay UK tax anyway.
2. Concerning the desirability or not of compulsory registration “if we are to have a referendum that gives an opportunity to all our citizens to vote”, the Scottish Independence Referendum with its over 84% turnout, well above the normal rate for UK elections, proves that compulsory registration is not necessary when the issue is considered important and contentious enough to be put to all British citizens in a referendum.
3. The case of the Scottish Independence Referendum “where 800,000 people born and bred in Scotland did not have a vote, though resident in the United Kingdom, in something that affected Scotland and the United Kingdom,” has some important differences when compared with an EU referendum including all UK citizens.

   Response to Lord Lexden 060715 Question

   Rodney Harper & Brian Cave