European Union Referendum Bill — Referendum Vote for EU Nationals Resident in the UK — 7 Sep 2015 at 23:27

The majority of MPs voted against allowing non-British EU citizens resident in the UK to vote in the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.

MPs were considering the European Union Referendum Bill.^[1]

The amendment rejected in this vote was:

• Amendment 7, page 2, line 16, at end insert—
• “(d) the persons who on the date of the referendum would be entitled to vote in a European parliamentary election by virtue of the European Parliamentary Elections (Franchise of Relevant Citizens of the Union) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/1184) (citizens of the European Union other than Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland citizens).”

The amendment was accompanied by an explanatory note stating:

• This amendment would extend the franchise to EU nationals who would be entitled to vote in EU parliamentary elections in the UK.

"Franchise" is a term for the a right to vote.^[2]

The rejected amendment would have amended Clause 2 of the Bill^[3] titled: Entitlement to vote in the referendum adding the text in question to the end of Clause 2 which sets out those eligible to vote. The new section (d) would have added those defined within it to the list of those eligible to vote in the referendum.

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the European Union Referendum Bill
• [2] Collins English Dictionary definition of suffrage
• [3] Version of the Bill to which the rejected amendment relates

Debate in Parliament | Source |