In a policy statement of 7 October, the UK Minister for the Constitution, Chris Skidmore announced that the country would remove the 15-year limit on the exercise of voting rights for British citizens abroad. All British citizens would therefore receive the lifelong right to vote in national parliamentary elections. 

In the accompanying consultation paper, the UK government stipulated that rules for referenda would still be decided on ad hoc basis.

Read the policy statement here and the consultation paper here.

For details of current and past electoral legislation in the UK consult our country profile pages.

For a detailed overview of electoral rights at all levels in the UK, consult our Conditions for Electoral Rights 2015 database.