EU referendum: 1.5 million foreigners could get to vote
Ministers have been confronted in private by Eurosceptic MPs who fear David Cameron could water down his promise to give British people the final say over EU membership

A United Kingdom flag flying next to a European Union flag
A few years ago, when Brexit seemed a long way off, there was something romantic about it

Up to 1.5 million foreigners could be given a decisive vote in the referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, senior Conservatives fear.
Ministers have been confronted in private by Eurosceptic MPs who are concerned that David Cameron could water down his promise to give the British people a say over the UK’s future in Europe because he wants Britain to stay inside the EU.
The row centres on a decision over which electoral register is used for the referendum which is due to take place by the end of 2017.
The government said it would decide on the franchise for the plebiscite when it publishes the EU Referendum Bill, expected in the coming months.
Tory MPs who oppose Britain’s membership of the EU want the referendum to use the General Election voter register, with the addition of allowing peers in the House of Lords to vote.
However, they fear that the government could be persuaded instead to use the separate electoral register for local council and European Parliament elections. This allows 1.5 million citizens of other EU countries who are living in Britain to vote in local and European elections.

David Cameron talks with Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission
There are 45.3 million voters on the electoral register for Westminster, and an estimated 46.8 million who are registered to vote in local and European Parliament elections. If the In versus Out campaign is closely fought, the votes of EU citizens could be decisive.
Privately, government sources have indicated that they expect the “starting point” of the Bill to be Westminster register, which excludes foreign nationals.
However, MPs fear that Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, pro-EU Tories and the Labour party, which is opposed to a referendum, could join forces in an attempt to tip the balance in favour of an “in” vote.
These groups could gang up on the government in the Lords and force through an amendment to the Bill, changing it so that the local government electoral register, which includes European residents, is used.
Bernard Jenkin, the senior Conservative and a leading Eurosceptic, said such a move would be “ridiculous” if it happened.
“It would be very odd to use anything but the national franchise because EU citizens do not take part in general elections and they are represented in the European Union by their own national governments,” he said.
“This is a national decision and should therefore be based on the national franchise, not the local government franchise. We wait to see the Bill but I do emphasise it would be extremely odd for the Bill to say anything else.”
David Lidington, the Europe Minister, was privately tackled over the issue of the franchise in Westminster last week, as fears grew among Tory eurosceptics that the government could cave in.
Philip Davies, another Conservative MP, said: “It would have to be the General Election franchise. Anything else would be unacceptable.”
Mr Davies, the MP for Shipley, said there would be time to use the Parliament Act to overturn any attempt by the House of Lords, where the Tories do not have a majority, to change the Bill.
“If the House of Lords are unwise enough to try to overturn the will of the elected House on something that was in the governing party’s manifesto and in effect sign their own death warrant in the process, the government has got time to overturn it anyway.
“I have always defended the House of Lords but if they were to start playing silly sods over this, I am afraid I would be voting for their abolition in no time at all.”
A government spokesman said: “We will set out the details of the franchise in the Bill at the appropriate time.”
Other government sources conceded that there was growing concern among backbenchers over the Prime Minister's commitment to holding a fair vote which excluded EU citizens.
Eurosceptic Tory MPs have long been suspicious of Mr Cameron's commitment to European reform, arguing that he agreed to hold a referendum only after they launched a series of damaging rebellions against him.
Mr Cameron has said he wants to renegotiate the terms of Britains EU membership to get a better deal for Britain, with controls on immigration, and an end to meddling from Brussels. He is expected to campaign to stay in the EU.
Last week, Philip Hammond, the eurosceptic Foreign Secretary, said he wanted to campaign for an “in” vote and raised the prospect of holding the referendum sooner than the December 2017 deadline.

Bron: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...et-to-vote.html

Reactie: In of uit. Dat is de vraag die in Groot-Brittannië sterk aanwezig is als het gaat over de Europese Unie. Net zoals met alles heb je ook daar voor en tegens maar de vraag is natuurlijk wie uiteindelijk zo'n drastische beslissing gaat maken. Men wil een referendum laten plaatsvinden, politiekers hebben hun eigen mening maar wat zou uiteindelijk de beste oplossing kunnen zijn? Ik stel mij gewoon erg veel vragen bij hoeveel de "gewone" Britten afweten van de voor - en nadelen van de Europese Unie om er een goede mening over te kunnen vormen. Langs de andere kant is het natuurlijk een democratie en hebben de mensen stemrecht. Een naar mijn mening erg moeilijke kwestie waarvan ik mij afvraag hoe ze deze gaan oplossen.