1 million Commonwealth nationals could swing UK election
New figures published today by The Royal Commonwealth Society suggest that over 1 million Commonwealth citizens living
in the UK could vote in next week’s General Election.
Potentially representing more than 2 per cent of the UK electorate (roughly 45 million) and sometimes clustered in key
marginal seats, these Commonwealth nationals could swing the election.
All adult citizens of Commonwealth countries who are resident in the UK (even if they are not British citizens) are
eligible to vote in UK Parliamentary General Elections. By contrast, most citizens of the European Union (except those
from Cyprus and Malta) are unable to vote in UK national elections.
The RCS estimates are based on data from the Labour Force Survey for the last quarter of 2009. The figure covers
nationals of Commonwealth countries, of voting age, living in the UK. It does not include British citizens of
Commonwealth origin.
The biggest groups of Commonwealth nationals resident in the UK come from India, Pakistan and South Africa. More than
half a million citizens from these three countries alone are eligible to vote in the UK. These communities are
concentrated largely in West London, with sizeable clusters in Leicester, Bradford and Birmingham. Key marginal seats,
such as Hampstead and Kilburn or Ealing Central and Acton, could be decided by their votes. See table below for details.
This eligibility is based on long-standing ties between the UK and Commonwealth members. British citizens enjoy similar
reciprocal rights in countries such as Jamaica, Malawi, New Zealand, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Dr Danny Sriskandarajah, Director of The Royal Commonwealth Society said:
“People often muse that the Commonwealth is no longer relevant to the UK but our research shows that it is very much
alive - and voting. Immigrants won’t just be under the election microscope, they’ll be wielding it too. A good million
of them will be scrutinizing what British politicians can offer them ahead of next week’s election.
While these voter rights represent the deep and important ties between Britain and the Commonwealth, they will almost
certainly be included in any review of electoral reform by a new UK government.”
ENDS