- Title: Brexit a hot topic for expat voters in Britain's first post-EU election
- Date: 2nd July 2024
- Summary: GDYNIA, POLAND (JUNE 28, 2024) (REUTERS) ENGLISH TEACHER, ORIGINALLY FROM MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND, JULIAN GILBERT STANDING ON QUAYSIDE GILBERT HOLDING COFFEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLISH TEACHER, ORIGINALLY FROM MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND, JULIAN GILBERT, SAYING: "As we got nearer to the election, I started thinking that maybe I should vote and I haven't this time and I feel quite bad about it, to be honest with you. But I think there are lots of Brits who think similar to me, since 2019, that we were left. We were stranded, by the way, as Brits in the EU. We were stranded completely by the government. We were left. Nobody knew what was happening to us. As far as they knew, we could have been thrown out. I've got a family here. I could have been thrown out. You can see I feel quite angry about it still, you know. So, yeah, I didn't register to vote this time, but I think I should have done." ROW OF FLAGS ON QUAYSIDE EUROPEAN UNION FLAG GILBERT TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLISH TEACHER, ORIGINALLY FROM MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND, JULIAN GILBERT, SAYING: "He's (UK PM Rishi Sunak) a disaster. I mean, I never regarded myself as being a particularly patriotic Brit. I mean, I'm proud of being, you know, British. But the D-Day thing, I mean, this was unbelievable." GILBERT HOLDING COFFEE GILBERT TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLISH TEACHER, ORIGINALLY FROM MERSEYSIDE, ENGLAND, JULIAN GILBERT: "I want the Conservative Party to lose this election. That's my number one thing. They instigated and brought in not only Brexit, but a hard Brexit deliberately. And they are entirely responsible for that 100 percent. I don't even blame (Reform Party leader and prominent eurosceptic Nigel) Farage for that because he wasn't in power, you know, and they need to be punished for that." GDYNIA, POLAND (JUNE 26, 2024) (REUTERS) TROLLEYBUS PASSING BY EX SOLDIER, NORTH SEA OIL PLATFORM MEDIC AND HSE ADVISOR, ORIGINALLY FROM DERBYSHIRE, ANDREW DOMELOW WITH HIS WIFE KAROLINA AND THEIR SON ON PROMENADE (SOUNDBITE) (English) EX SOLDIER, NORTH SEA OIL PLATFORM MEDIC AND HSE ADVISOR, ORIGINALLY FROM DERBYSHIRE, ANDREW DOMELOW, SAYING: "Pensions are going to be my big thing. Make sure the triple lock is kept on pensions. Labour haven't committed to that yet. Conservatives have, Labour haven't. But from all the opinion polls, it looks like the Conservatives aren't going to get in anyway." VARIOUS OF DOMELOW AND FAMILY ON PROMENADE LOOKING OUT TO SEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) EX SOLDIER, NORTH SEA OIL PLATFORM MEDIC AND HSE ADVISOR, ORIGINALLY FROM DERBYSHIRE, ANDREW DOMELOW, SAYING: "I'd like to see one of the political parties come out and say we'll look at reentering the EU. I know it's probably never going to happen, but it may be worth putting that out there to gauge what society is thinking. I'd love to go back into the EU." DOMELOW'S SON JUMPING INTO HIS ARMS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EX SOLDIER, NORTH SEA OIL PLATFORM MEDIC AND HSE ADVISOR, ORIGINALLY FROM DERBYSHIRE, ANDREW DOMELOW: "I'd probably vote for the Liberal Democrats. They're a centre party. (Liberal Democrat leader) Ed Davey seems like a nice, honest enough guy, down to earth guy. (PM, Conservative leader) Rishi Sunak—very privileged person at the moment, married to a multi-billionaire, so not in touch with the common person, I don't think. (Labour leader) Keir... Sir Keir Starmer says his father was a toolmaker. Yeah, maybe he was, but Sir Keir Starmer is now a millionaire. He doesn't know what's really happening with the general person out there on the street." BUSY BEACH SPEEDBOAT PASSING BY WAVES LAPPING AGAINST ROCKS PROMENADE GDANSK, POLAND (JUNE 26, 2024) (REUTERS) PENSIONER, AUTHOR, ORIGINALLY FROM EAST MIDLANDS OF ENGLAND, DAVID HOPEWELL, SITTING IN CAFE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PENSIONER, AUTHOR, ORIGINALLY FROM EAST MIDLANDS OF ENGLAND, DAVID HOPEWELL, SAYING: "I don't think any of the parties are discussing Brexit at all and I think it's kind of universally accepted that Brexit is not an issue. It would be nice if someone actually stood up and said that we want to try and see if the British public still want to stay out of Europe." VARIOUS OF HOPEWELL'S HANDS AS HE SPEAKS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PENSIONER, AUTHOR, ORIGINALLY FROM EAST MIDLANDS OF ENGLAND, DAVID HOPEWELL, SAYING: "What I would like to see is the fact that they actually raise the (tax-free income threshold) personal allowance on tax because there's a lot of pensioners now are paying tax on their pensions that they didn't used to pay." HOPEWELL SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PENSIONER, AUTHOR, ORIGINALLY FROM EAST MIDLANDS OF ENGLAND, DAVID HOPEWELL, SAYING: "I just hope they keep the triple pension, because that's a benefit for me." HOPEWELL'S BOOK HOPEWELL FLIPPING THROUGH HIS BOOK GDYNIA, POLAND (JUNE 28, 2024) (REUTERS) ROW OF FLAGS ON QUAYSIDE EUROPEAN UNION, GDYNIA CITY AND POLISH FLAGS GDYNIA SKYLINE BUMBLEBEE FLYING FROM FLOWERS
- Embargoed: 16th July 2024 08:57
- Keywords: brexit conservative ed davey election expat general election keir starmer labour lib dem liberal democrat nigel farage overseas pensions postal vote reform rishi sunak triple lock triple-lock vote
- Location: GDANSK AND GDYNIA, POLAND / VARIOUS, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: GDANSK AND GDYNIA, POLAND / VARIOUS, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001490829062024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:In the UK's 2019 election, Conservative PM Boris Johnson won a majority pledging to 'Get Brexit Done.' Four years on, Brexit is barely mentioned in Britain's first post-EU election.
For Britain's expat voters in the EU, Brexit remains a key concern. Around a million Britons lived in the EU before Brexit, and their lives have become more complicated regarding work, residency permits, and crossing borders.
"We were stranded as Brits in the EU," said Julian Gilbert, an English teacher from Southport, England. Usually a Labour voter, he has not registered to vote this year out of frustration with politics—a decision he regrets.
Andrew Domelow, an ex-British Army Reserve soldier now working as an offshore medic, wants a public consultation on rejoining the EU—an idea not supported by major parties. He views both Labour's Keir Starmer and the Conservatives' Rishi Sunak as out-of-touch elites and plans to vote for the Liberal Democrats.
Pensions are another key concern. Domelow worries a Labour government might not maintain the Conservatives' 'triple-lock pension' promise. Labour has pledged to keep the policy for at least five years.
Domelow's pension worries are shared by David Hopewell.
Hopewell, a retiree running a small farm and writing bilingual children's books, wants the 'personal allowance' raised to exempt state pensions from income tax—something the Conservatives have pledged but Labour has not.
Britain will elect a new parliament on July 4.
(Production: Carla O'Connor, Thomas Holdstock) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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