British expats overseas warned to prepare for snap election

Johnson's proroguing attempt to negate parliamentary efforts to stop a no-deal Brexit may result in a snap election if justices rule its use is unconstitutional.

Just as expats on both sides of the English Channel thought things couldn’t get any worse – they did, due to Boris Johnson’s proroguing of the parliamentary procedure, thus shutting the House of Commons down for a protracted period of time. The move caused rage in MPs of all persuasions, as did his involvement of the Queen as a ‘backstop’ against parliamentary anger. Three legal bids to overturn the block on parliamentary procedures are now in the works, with opposition parties huddling together in an attempt to find ways to overrule the prorogation and hopefully delay Brexit Day by as long as six months.

Even the normally apathetic British public are stirring, with demonstrations against Johnson's move already being held across the country. Many are based on the fact that no-one voted for this mess in 2006, and were lied to by Leave. Due to the Conservative party’s majority of just one, it’s highly possible a snap general election may be held, especially if grass-roots political opposition sends citizens out on the streets in protest. For this to happen, Labour would need to win a no-confidence motion in the Commons, but the actual date could be manipulated until after October 31. Rumour has it that some in No.10 would favour a pre-Brexit ‘Parliament versus People’ election, with Johnson’s prorogation simply an attempt to force the opposition to trigger it, thus leaving Downing Street in the clear.

British expat voters are now receiving emails reminding them to arrange for proxies to vote on their behalf, as there’s no way the Electoral Commission could get out postal votes in the time remaining should a snap election be called. According to the email, contingency plans for an election are already in play, with a week’s turnaround at best for UK voters living and working overseas – a time frame which is totally unacceptable in a democratic country.

However, given that a huge number of British expats living in Europe as well as across the world are now struggling to maintain their lifestyles against the Brexit-influenced falling pound, overseas voters might well have the upper hand, especially if they weren’t able to vote in the 2016 referendum.

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