SENIOR SNP MSP Michael Russell has urged the UK Government to take responsibility for failures which saw some EU citizens denied a vote in last month’s European elections. The Constitutional Relations Secretary wrote to David Lidington, Theresa May’s de facto deputy, the day after the vote calling for an investigation into why some EU citizens in the UK were left with not enough time to complete paperwork, while others were turned away at polling stations.
Lidington has replied claiming the UK Government “took all the necessary steps to prepare for the election” and saying it was up to local electoral registration officers to ensure everyone eligible to vote had an opportunity to do so.
However, Russell said the Tory Cabinet Office Minister was failing to address the seriousness of the issue. He said: “This is an abdication of responsibility by the UK Government, which has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that electoral law is fit for purpose.
“To attempt to shift the blame on to local officials when it ignored warnings from both myself and the Electoral Commission of the looming debacle is unacceptable. The UK Government should apologise to all those people denied their democratic right to vote and order a full inquiry into what went wrong. In Scotland we want EU citizens to feel welcome and valued. Denying them a vote in elections which could have a crucial bearing on their future is not the way to go about it.”
EU citizens had to notify their local council they planned to vote in the UK by completing a UC1 form. The UK Government did not give permission for public money to be used for preparations, including awareness campaigns, until April 1 and only confirmed the election would go ahead on May 7, the deadline for the forms to be submitted.
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