by Our News Desk

A FRENCH-BORN politician elected to represent a region of Scotland said yesterday it was “a democratic disgrace” that he would not be allowed to vote on Britain’s membership of the EU.

Christian Allard, SNP MSP for North East Scotland, will be disqualified under Prime Minister David Cameron’s plan to use the general election franchise for voters who will be eligible in the referendum, promised by the end of 2017.

The decision would ban 1.5 million EU nationals resident in Britain, including almost 90,000 EU citizens who were eligible to vote in last year’s Scottish independence referendum, from having a say.

Mr Allard said: “EU nationals across Scotland make incredible contributions to their communities and to our national life, pay taxes and contribute to the economy and for their voices to be silenced on this crucial issue by an out-of-touch Tory government pandering to its own right wing and to Ukip would be nothing less than a democratic disgrace.

“Just last year, almost 90,000 EU nationals registered to vote in Scotland’s referendum and played a key role in the vibrant, democratic debate that the whole country took part in.

“For the Tories to now try to exclude thousands of people in Scotland — and well over a million across the UK — based simply on their nationality is completely indefensible.”

Under the plans citizens of Commonwealth countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand will have a vote, along with those from just three other EU states — Ireland, Malta and Cyprus, based on the criteria for a general election.

SNP MSP and Europe and International Development minister Humza Yousaf added: “Proposals to exclude most EU citizens living in the UK from voting in the European referendum are utterly perverse, especially as citizens from a whole range of countries outside Europe will be eligible to vote.

“I will be raising this issue with the UK government in the strongest possible manner, urging them to reverse this illogical and discriminatory policy.”