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James Preston denied expat voting system appeal
James Preston denied expat voting system appeal
| Published: | 1 Mar at 11 AM |
A British expat whose efforts to be awarded the right to vote were recently turned down by judges has not been granted permission to appeal, reports the Daily Telegraph.
James Preston went to the High Court in 2011 to challenge the law banning Britons from voting after they have resided overseas for 15 years. Madrid-based Preston argued that this time limit infringed his rights under the EU law which state people can move freely to other member nations without discrimination. However, the case was dismissed in December.
Mr Preston then lodged for permission to take his case to the Court of Appeal, but last week was informed that the application had been denied. The expat said that they have the right, which he intends to exercise, to an oral hearing concerning the case.
However, he said that he has been advised that success is very unlikely. He added that he is extremely disappointed that he can’t take the case any further if the appeal doesn’t go ahead. The voting cap is unpopular with a large number of the estimated 5.5 million UK citizens currently living abroad, who claim that they deserve the right to vote on what happens in their own country.
Mr Preston, a funds manager who moved to Spain during the mid-1990s after being unable to find employment in the UK, says that he maintains strong links with Britain, and that it is not fair that the government consider him too withdrawn from the country to vote, when he is likely to be considered UK-domiciled – and subject to UK tax – after death.
James Preston went to the High Court in 2011 to challenge the law banning Britons from voting after they have resided overseas for 15 years. Madrid-based Preston argued that this time limit infringed his rights under the EU law which state people can move freely to other member nations without discrimination. However, the case was dismissed in December.
Mr Preston then lodged for permission to take his case to the Court of Appeal, but last week was informed that the application had been denied. The expat said that they have the right, which he intends to exercise, to an oral hearing concerning the case.
However, he said that he has been advised that success is very unlikely. He added that he is extremely disappointed that he can’t take the case any further if the appeal doesn’t go ahead. The voting cap is unpopular with a large number of the estimated 5.5 million UK citizens currently living abroad, who claim that they deserve the right to vote on what happens in their own country.
Mr Preston, a funds manager who moved to Spain during the mid-1990s after being unable to find employment in the UK, says that he maintains strong links with Britain, and that it is not fair that the government consider him too withdrawn from the country to vote, when he is likely to be considered UK-domiciled – and subject to UK tax – after death.
