Call to strip EU citizens of the right to vote
MORE than 230,000 EU citizens are being allowed to vote in the Holyrood election – in a move critics say could help the SNP.
Under rules imposed after Brexit, EU citizens are not allowed to vote in General Elections.
However, the Scottish Elections Act, which came into force last year, allows them to cast a ballot in the
Scottish parliamentary election. The rules also give the vote for the first time to around 500 prisoners serving terms of less than a year.
Michelle Ballantyne – the Scottish leader of Reform UK who is standing in the South of Scotland – believes people should have secured citizenship before being given the right to vote.
She said: ‘If you are part of the franchise, you have to have a commitment to take responsibility.
‘If you are not a citizen, you can say, “I’m going back to my country because they’ve made a mess of things”. If you live here and are committed, why are you not taking the decision to be a citizen?’
Ms Ballantyne warned the move could benefit the SNP, saying: ‘Their fundamental raison d’être is independence. They will do whatever they can to get that, including getting people signed up to vote in a way they want them to.
‘If you’re an EU citizen and don’t want to be part of the UK, it would suit you better to be an EU citizen and come and go as you please.’
There are 234,000 EU citizens living in Scotland.
The Government said: ‘Scotland values equally all those who choose to make our country their home. Extending the [vote] ensures they have a democratic voice.’