Over three million British citizens living in France and abroad have regained their right to vote in British General Elections and referendums.

As of Tuesday 16th January, the arbitrary 15-year limit on voting rights has been scrapped and British citizens worldwide will be able to register to vote online regardless of how long they have been overseas.

It follows the implementation of the Elections Act 2022.

It means that Britons overseas have enough time to register for a vote in the general election if it happens in autumn 2024, as some media have hinted.

The move brings to an end an almost 20-year battle by the late Harry Shindler, who challenged the former 15-year limit on voting rights in the high court in 2016. When successive governments failed to deliver on their manifesto promises he brought the case to the European court of justice.

Shindler, who died in February 2023 aged 101, had argued the UK “was a democracy but not a complete democracy” until all Britons were enfranchised.

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