Call to let ex-pat Scots vote in Holyrood elections

Published on Tuesday 17 March 2009 11:08

A LEADING think-tank today called for ex-pat Scots to be allowed to vote in Holyrood elections.

The Institute for Public Public Policy Research suggested that Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish people who leave the country should be allowed to take part in elections for devolved administrations.

Such a move would see ex-pat Scots voting in Holyrood elections.

And those from Northern Ireland would be allowed to vote in elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly and similarly ex-pats from Wales could have a say in electing the National Assembly for Wales.

The IPPR floated the idea in a private paper that will be presented to a Foreign Office conference of UK ambassadors in London next week.

Jill Rutter, the IPPR's senior research fellow on migration, equalities and citizenship, said: "The paper is looking at how the British Government can engage with the diaspora community of Brits abroad."

She went on: "We think that ex-pats probably feel more Scottish, Welsh or Irish than British, and giving them the right to vote in devolved elections is one way of maintaining their interest in current affairs in Britain."

She added that ex-pats already had the right to vote in Westminster elections, using either a postal vote or a proxy vote to take part.

Ms Rutter said: "We would suggest that the same could also apply to elections for the devolved administrations."

And she added the paper also suggested the Year of Homecoming would be more successful at attracting Scots to return home permanently if it was "more focussed" and included "financial and practical incentives".

Ms Rutter said the Homecoming initiative was "great" but added: "It needs to be a bit more focussed."

She suggested there were "issues such as tax breaks and perhaps resettlement grants and things like that" that could be considered as part of the scheme.