Dear Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
I'm afraid to tell you there's no money left.
Signed, Liam Byrne

(Outgoing Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury. May 2010)
.
.

Friday 26 February 2010

44,000 new voters in the last 3 months.

Hmm, makes you think.
More than 44,000 British passports were handed out to foreigners in just three months as the number of applications for citizenship soared 30 per cent.

Latest Home Office figures reveal that 51,315 applications were made for citizenship in the final quarter of last year - a massive rise from the 39,325 requests made for the same period in 2008.

The number of immigrants granted UK passports rose 15 per cent from 38,955 to 44,870. It is much higher than the previous record average of 41,000 passports handed out each quarter in 2007.
To be able to vote you have to be British, and, as the Border Agency's "LifeintheUK site says
Settlement and citizenship

Becoming settled in the UK by getting indefinite leave to remain means you will have the opportunity to play an even more active role in your community and wider society. You no longer have to renew your permission to stay in the UK and you are free to come and go with the minimum of fuss, provided you do not remain outside the UK for more than two years.

If you are applying to become a British citizen, this will give you:

* the right to a British passport
* the right to vote in national elections
Not entirely sure what the, "provided you do not remain outside the UK for more than two years" means, unless it meant that if Mrs R chooses to wander off abroad somewhere or other and is away for more than two years she loses her Britishness ... but no matter.

There's a practice 'citizenship' test - it's written in English. Try it here and compare it with the one from 2005, shown on the BBC

You can register to vote if
you are:
* 16 or over (but you cannot vote until you are 18)

* A UK, Republic of Ireland or qualifying Commonwealth citizen. Qualifying Commonwealth citizens are those who have leave to enter or remain in the UK, or do not require such leave.

* A citizen of a European Union country living in the UK
A citizen of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or a British Overseas Territory living in the UK
....

2 comments:

Leg-iron said...

The trouble is, all those new voters are likely to congregate in just a few places. They might shore up one or two seats but it's likely they would be Labour safe seats anyway.

Well, they were Labour safe seats until the massive influx of immigrants sends every white British voter over to the BNP...

Once more, Labour have not thought ahead. It's unlikely they ever will.

Mrs Rigby said...

Good points