"Dear Labour Leader Keir Starmer

This is potentially the last year EU citizens living in England and Northern Ireland can vote and stand as councillors in local elections. Whilst the UK was a member of the EU, their rights were protected.

But because of Brexit, the Tories at Westminster could now vote to remove the local election voting and candidacy rights of EU citizens living in England and Northern Ireland. So far, the UK government has offered no assurances beyond this year that EU citizens will keep their local election voting rights.

Supported by Labour, the devolved governments of Wales and Scotland recently passed bills allowing all local residents with permanent residence, including both EU and non-EU foreign nationals, the right to be able to vote and stand as candidates in their local elections.

But despite paying council tax just like everyone else, EU citizens living in England and Northern Ireland may soon join non-commonwealth citizens as one of the only groups unable to partake in local elections.

We, the undersigned, believe that EU citizens should have the opportunity to stand for re-election, so that they can continue to serve their local community. But the only reassurance this government has offered is that any EU citizens elected as councillors this year will be able to finish their term.

We call on Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, to make sure that Brexit doesn’t mean that EU citizens living in the UK have their local election voting and candidacy rights removed.
 
Yours sincerely,"