Which nationalities have the right to vote in UK general elections?

Left Foot Forward

Over 1.5 million foreign nationals can vote in this election but many more can not.

Ahead of tommorow’s deadline to register to vote, we are publishing a list of some of the nationalities who can vote in this election – along with the size of some of these populations in the UK.

The Labour Party have pledged to give voting rights to everyone living in the UK but, at the moment, only citizens from Ireland and the following Commonwealth countries are allowed to help decide who rules the country they live in.

According to the latest data, there are over 1.5 million people from the following nationalities living in the UK. There are more nationalities able to vote – they can be seen on the full list.

  • India – 355,000 people
  • Ireland – 331,000
  • Pakistan – 194,000
  • Nigeria – 94,000
  • South Africa – 86,000
  • Bangladesh – 83,000
  • Australia – 80,000
  • Sri Lanka – 49,000
  • Zimbabwe – 48,000
  • Ghana – 47,000
  • Nepal – 46,000
  • Canada – 43,000
  • New Zealand – 40,000
  • Jamaica – 34,000
  • Malaysia – 34,000
  • Kenya – 16,000

Other countries on the full list include the Bahamas, Botswana, Malta, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda.

Aside from Ireland, Malta and Cyprus – EU citizens can not vote in general elections.

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5 Responses to “Which nationalities have the right to vote in UK general elections?”

  1. Julia Gibb

    Quite some skill to write such an article and avoid the obvious “Empire” factor. If you were once ruled by London you can vote. We only recognise the conquered, those we ruled.

    Some people still cannot face reality!

  2. Dave Roberts

    Good response Julia but the question is one of legality. Are these people being denied a vote because they are British citizens or because they aren’t entitled to vote in the first place? We need to be told. Someone who is entitled to vote can do so. Someone who isn’t can’t. Simples! It’s like the so called Windrush crap. Fill in the forms and it’s all OK.

  3. Cole

    I thought the point of this was to tell us who can vote – not a diatribe about the British Empire.

  4. ChrisC

    If people are not sufficiently committed to this country to apply for citizenship, why should they be given the same voting status as those who are citizens of this country? The eagerness of some in this party to disfavour the indigenous population in every way they can possibly find is one of the problems in campaigning we inflict on ourselves – the electorate knows all too well what is going on, courtesy of hostile newspapers which are delighted to tell them (and for once, we can’t accuse them of bias or lies, because they are simply reporting the truth).

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