The U.K. government said in a statement Monday that British,
Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are U.K. residents will
be eligible to vote in the referendum on Britain's membership in
the European Union.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to renegotiate
Britain's ties with the EU and then hold an in-out referendum on
membership in the bloc by the end of 2017, a move that could
eventually result in the U.K. leaving the 28-member union.
The government will introduce a bill to Parliament outlining
plans for an EU referendum on Thursday, the same day Mr. Cameron
embarks on a tour of European capitals for a series of meetings
with his counterparts to discuss reforms he is seeking from the
EU.
The eligibility rules, based on rules for voting in the general
election, mean that citizens of Commonwealth countries like Canada,
South Africa and Cyprus who are U.K. residents will get a vote, but
other EU citizens won't. U.K. nationals who have lived overseas for
fewer than 15 years will be eligible. Members of Britain's upper
house of Parliament, the House of Lords, will also be able to
vote.
"It is time to put this right and to give people the
choice—in or out," a government official said. "This is a
big decision for our country, one that is about the future of the
United Kingdom. That's why we think it's important that it is
British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens that are the ones who get
to decide."
Commonwealth citizens living in Gibraltar will be able to
vote.
John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University,
said the voting eligibility rules won't have a significant effect
on the outcome of the referendum.
"You lose one pro-EU group but you gain another," he said,
referring to the exclusion of EU citizens living in the U.K. and
inclusion of U.K. citizens living abroad.
Mr. Cameron on Thursday will meet with Danish Prime Minister
Helle Thorning-Schmidt over breakfast. He will then travel to the
Netherlands for talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte before
ending the day with bilateral talks with President
François Hollande over dinner. On Friday, Mr. Cameron
will meet with Polish Prime Minister Eva Kopacz in Warsaw before
ending the trip in Berlin where he will hold talks with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Since Mr. Cameron was re-elected earlier this month, he has met
with leaders from Sweden, Poland and Hungary and the president of
the European Council, Donald Tusk. On Sunday, he hosted Jean-Claude
Juncker, the president of the European Commission, at his Chequers
country residence to discuss EU reform.
A May 22 poll by YouGov PLC showed one in four people think Mr.
Cameron will be able to negotiate a new relationship between
Britain and the EU that is better for Britain. The same survey
showed 44% of voters back staying in the EU, while 36% would vote
to leave. The rest didn't know or wouldn't vote.
Write to Jenny Gross at jenny.gross@wsj.com
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