Deadline approaches for overseas Britons to vote in UK election

Country goes to the polls on July 4, with opposition Labour Party favourites to form next government

Rishi Sunak on the campaign trail. AFP

British citizens living overseas who want to vote in next month's general election must register by Tuesday, June 18, to cast their ballot.

Up to three million long-term overseas' residents will be eligible to vote for the first time, following a change in the law.

Part of the UK government's Election Act 2022, the change means citizens who have lived abroad for more than 15 years but have either previously lived in or been registered to vote in Britain are now permitted to vote.

The UK looks set for a Labour-led government, with one poll released on Thursday putting Keir Starmer's party on 37 per cent; Reform UK at 19 per cent, just ahead of the Conservatives at 18 per cent; the Liberal Democrats at 14 per cent; the Greens at 7 per cent; the SNP at 3 per cent; Plaid Cymru at 1 per cent; and others at 2 per cent.

On Friday, Treasury Minister Bim Afolami said the Conservatives have “not accepted we're going to lose” the election on July 4.

Times Radio asked him whether the YouGov poll showing right-wing populist party Reform UK had overtaken the Tories was a moment the party feared,

“No, polls are polls. There's pretty much a poll every single day in this campaign, there'll be more, it's one poll out of literally hundreds,” said Mr Afolami.

UK general election campaigning – in pictures

The Conservative and Labour parties unveiled their manifestos this week.

The Tories have pledged to cut National Insurance by another 2 per cent to 6 per cent, while giving an assurance that income tax and VAT will not rise. On migration, another big issue, the Conservatives plan to introduce an annual cap.

Labour’s manifesto included targeted tax increases, including closing non-dom loopholes and applying VAT and business rates on private school fees. It said there would be no rise in income tax and NI, but it has not ruled out changes to capital gains tax or pensions tax relief.

Who can vote

You must be either a British citizen, or an eligible Irish citizen registering to vote in Northern Ireland.

Registration

The first step for a British citizen living overseas who wants to vote in the election is registration.

In Northern Ireland, you must register on a paper form but it can be done online for the rest of the UK.

You will need to provide details such as your passport number, plus the address and time you were last registered or resident in the UK.

Local authorities, which are responsible for the electoral roll in their area, must be able to verify your identity and past connection to the area.

You can find contact details for the relevant local council by entering the postcode of the last place you lived in the UK, using the commission's postcode tool.

Proxy and postal votes

After registration, voters can choose whether to vote by proxy or post.

Anyone wishing to apply for a postal vote must do so by 5pm on Wednesday, June 19.

Alternatively, you can apply for a proxy vote, which means you ask someone who is already a registered voter to cast a ballot on your behalf. They must already be eligible to vote in the election and bring their ID.