Who am I?

I am Dr. Vicky Enne, a microbiologist at a London university, and am currently involved in research into the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia in ICU, including for patients with Covid-19.  I am from Finland, and came to the UK as a student 25 years ago.  I have made my home and life here.  

My case

I want EU Citizens with Settled Status to be able to vote in General Elections just like Commonwealth Citizens can.

Commonwealth Citizens lawfully resident in the UK have the right to vote in General Elections.  EU Citizens who have Settled Status and have chosen to remain in the UK now that it has left the EU do not.  That is wrong. If only British citizens could vote in General Elections I would accept it.  But that is not the case.  

People with settled status belong here.  The minimum period anyone with Settled Status can have lived in the UK is 5 years, and many, like me, have lived here for far longer. We should not be treated less favourably than Commonwealth Citizens.  

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Demanding a voice for EU citizens

The tides of history have linked people like me to the UK. Even if history has now moved on, we remain here.  We need a say in the country to which we now belong, and where the vast majority of us are now likely to remain for the rest of our lives. Commonwealth Citizens have never had to naturalise to be able to vote. They are entitled to vote as of right.  We should be treated in the same way.  

EU Citizens, most of whom will have had Settled Status, and Commonwealth Citizens have worked side by side during the pandemic.  A nurse from New Zealand and a nurse from Portugal were responsible for looking after our Prime Minister when he was ill. Only one of them has the vote.

I closely collaborate with a UK based Singaporean scientist in my research.  She has the vote. I do not.  It makes no sense. Nor does it make any sense that EU Citizens from Malta and Cyprus have the vote, as their countries are also Commonwealth Countries, but I do not. 

Before the UK left the EU, one could not distinguish between EU Citizens who had been in the UK for a very short period, and those who had been here far longer and had much deeper ties to this country.   There is now a very simple way of doing this, namely the Settled Status scheme.  That is why now is the appropriate time to consider this.

What am I trying to achieve?

I will be asking the Courts to make a declaration that the law governing voting in UK General Elections (as set out in the Representation of the People Act 1983) is not compatible with the Human Rights Act because of the way that EU Citizens with Settled Status are treated less favourably than Commonwealth Citizens.  

If the Court makes this declaration it would be for the Government and Parliament to decide how to remedy the situation.  The Court could not impose a solution.  The existing rights of Commonwealth Citizens to vote are not endangered by this action, as the Government has already confirmed to my lawyers that they are here to stay.

EU Citizens with Settled Status come from many countries, and no doubt hold the full range of political views.  If this case succeeds, politicians of all parties will need to compete for our votes. No party should hope to take them for granted.  The important thing is that we will have the right to participate in the governance of the country where we live and which we have made our long-term home. 

How much are we raising and why?

My initial funding target is £50,000 which will enable me to get this important case off the ground.  My ‘stretch’ target is £100,000, which will enable me to have the security that I need to know that my costs will be covered if the case is unsuccessful, and that my legal team who are operating at a discounted rate will be paid for the work that they do.  A case such as this is of course highly uncertain.  However, I believe that I have strong legal (as well as irresistible moral) arguments, and that it is one that is worth pursuing.

My solicitors are Simpson Millar LLP, and the barristers they have instructed are David Wolfe QC from Matrix Chambers and Adrian Berry from Garden Court Chambers. 

My lawyers have already written pre-action correspondence to the Government following UK’s withdrawal from the EU, inviting them change the law. We have not had a positive response.  Their most recent response to us made clear that they would not engage in any further correspondence. To take matters forwards, we will now need to issue proceedings in the High Court.

I work in science, not the City.  I need to raise funds for it. Please support my case by making a donation and sharing the page.

If there are any unused funds left over from this case I will put them towards other cases on CrowdJustice aimed at protecting either voting rights or the rights of EU Citizens in the UK.

Keeping you updated

Right now, there are approximately 4 million EU Citizens who either have  Settled Status like me, or are likely to acquire it in the next few years (as they have pre-settled status now), and will thus be affected by this case.  I consequently realise that a lot of people will want to know how this case progresses. I will keep people informed via this website.