Conservatives Abroad Annual Conference

Conservatives Abroad Poland will host the Conservatives Abroad Annual Conference starting Friday 15th October in Krakow Poland.

The Executive Committee of Conservatives Abroad Dubai and Northern Emirates agreed that David Haigh will represent Dubai at the conference this year.

Marek Matraszek is Branch Chairman of Conservatives Abroad Poland.

Gulf Tories Meeting

The Gulf Tories held held its regional meeting in Bahrain earlier today. Members from Conservatives Abroad branches across the Gulf gathered to discuss a range of subjects including voting rights for long term British expats and matters related to UK inward investment.

Gulf Tories
10 June 2010

Conservatives Abroad Dubai - Executive Committee Meeting

Capital Club, The Gate Village, DIFC, Dubai
26 May 2010 at 5:30pm

The Executive Committee ("EC") of Conservatives Abroad Dubai and Northern Emirates met yesterday at the Capital Club for the first time since Prime Minister David Cameron was elected to office.

The EC discussed a number of subjects including ways in which the supporter base could be grown.

The EC also agreed to increase frequency of meetings and decided to start inviting supporters to join for post meeting drinks.

Conservatives Abroad Dubai and Northern Emirates EC Members:
David Haigh
Zulfi Hydari
Darren Davis
Peter Gray
John Belsey

www.conservativesme.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/uktorymideast

British urged to register soon as election date approaches - The National Newspaper

source: loveday morris, the national, abu dhabi

ABU DHABI // The 200,000 Britons living in the UAE are being urged to register for voting as a general election looms.

No date has yet been set for the election, but it is widely expected to take place on May 6. Those who leave registration until the election is announced will have just a six-day window to post their forms.

“The key really is that people should register as soon as possible,” said Euan Holloway, a spokesman for the Electoral Commission, an independent watchdog.

“If you wait for the announcement, you’ve only got six working days to register, so if you are out in the UAE, and have to post your registration forms back to the UK, that doesn’t leave much time. To minimise the risk of missing out, we are saying do it now.”

The election will be announced 17 working days before Britain goes to the polls, with the deadline for registration 11 working days before the vote. British citizens living abroad can register as overseas voters if they registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years.

There are several voting options – postal voting, proxy voting or proxy postal voting, but all involve posting registration forms back to Britain. Residents cannot vote at the British Embassy.

The commission said voters further afield should not use postal ballots since they were sent out about a week before the election.

“The rule of thumb we say to everyone outside Europe is proxy is probably best unless you have a superb postal system,” said Mr Holloway.

Using the proxy vote option, an overseas resident can nominate a person they trust to vote on their behalf. If that person does not live in the same constituency, they can vote through a postal proxy vote.

Full details and registration forms are available at www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.

"Want to make a difference?"

Britain's ‘Conservatives Abroad’ are pushing out the urgent message to UK nationals that they can make a difference in the forthcoming general election.

To be able to vote and make a difference, Britons abroad must register before the end of March. All British citizens who have been registered in a constituency at any point over the last fifteen years are entitled to vote and this year every vote will count.

In the latest polls the Conservative lead over Labour is just 2%. This is well within the margin of error of polling and essentially means that the vote could go either way.

For those of any party wanting to make a difference, Gulf Tories are recommending that potential voters visit one of these two sites http://www.dontleaveyourvoteathome.com or www.aboutmyvote.co.uk to download the Electoral Commission's registration form. They also recommend that to ensure votes arrive on time it is best to nominate friends or relations to act as proxy.

For further comment on British politics or advice on how to register and vote please contact: Gillian Fischer at gillian.fischer@gulftories.com

Heather Harper: General Election is biggest chance to change Government in decade

Heather Harper, Patron of Gulf Tories, says that Britain's coming General Election presents the biggest chance in over a decade to change the Government but that the result is still close to call.

If you are British and were formerly registered in any of the following constituencies, then this could be your chance to make a real difference:

Battersea
Crawley
Croydon Central
Fulham
Hammersmith
Harlow
Sittingbourne and Sheppey

In each of these areas, less than 100 votes each way are predicted to be enough to decide the outcome not only for that constituency but for the election as a whole. As it is estimated that there are perhaps as many as 100,000 eligible British voters in the GCC it is very possible that the result of the British General Election could turn on overseas votes.

For this reason Gulf Tories are working hard throughout the GCC to ensure that every UK national is made aware of what's at stake and how to register to vote.
The deadline to register to vote is 31st March.

Forms can be downloaded at www.don'tleaveyourvoteathome.com or http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/

For more information on how to register or vote, Gulf Tories recommend contacting their campaign co-ordinator Gillian Fischer on gillian.fischer@gulftories.com

Time is running out for expats to register to vote

Assuming the date of the General Election is May 6th, there are just 35 days left for expats to register to vote to ensure that they will have the opportunity to have their say. Please pass this message to any British citizens you know living overseas.

In Touch Newsletter: This Year is Election Year

Eric Pickles: "2010 is a year for change, and your vote can help bring about this change to the UK. With the guarantee of a General Election less than 6 months away it is crucial that all eligible overseas voters register to vote before it is too late. With a large number of Parliamentary seats likely to be decided by a handful of votes, this is the election where YOU can make a real difference to the result."

You can view the newsletter here: http://www.conservativesabroad.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/newsletter9.pdf

UK Shadow Cabinet Minister states no plans to change tax status for British expatriates

Dubai based British Conservatives mobilize for upcoming UK General Election



In photograph attached - from left to right:

Douglas Hansen-Luke, Philippa Buckley, Andrew Mitchell MP, Zulfi Hydari, David Haigh and Bashir Siman.

Dubai, January 10 2010 – Andrew Mitchell MP, Britain's Shadow Secretary of State for International Development visited British Conservatives and leading businessmen at the Capital Club in Dubai International Financial Centre yesterday.

Returning from a trip to Pakistan he spoke on the importance of peace and stability as an essential first step in development for the bottom billion of the world's population and reaffirmed the Tories commitment to spending 0.7% of GDP on international development.

He defended this action at a time when 25% of all British government spending is debt funded by highlighting that encouraging development will further global stability and this is in Britain's long-term interest.

On British government spending he said that cuts are inevitable but the Conservatives would refrain from taxing expatriates on overseas earnings. When challenged on increasing the maximum number of tax free days for UK residence, Mr Mitchell said that this would not be a priority but encouraged Middle East residents to make their case

Andrew Mitchell MP closed his remarks by highlighting just how close the general election will be and encouraged all Britons abroad to register to vote through www.dontleaveyourvoteathome.com

Zulfi Hydari, Co-Chairman of Conservatives Abroad in Dubai said, “We are delighted Andrew Mitchell MP was able to make time in his busy schedule to address a distinguished group of British Conservatives and leading businessmen at the Capital Club.”

Mr. Hydari added, “We enjoyed strong turnout and Mr. Mitchell’s address was very well received.”

David Haigh, Co-Chairman said, “Our guests were given an opportunity to question Mr. Mitchell on various policy issues including, energy, immigration, taxation and defense. The feedback was very positive and we look forward to continuing our efforts to encourage voter registration in the run up to the next election.”

Drinks Reception for Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell MP

Drinks Reception in Dubai to welcome Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell MP




Andrew Mitchell MP is the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development as well as the Shadow Cabinet Member with responsibility for Birmingham. Andrew is 53, married with two daughters. He was educated at Rugby School and Cambridge University, where he studied history and was elected as President of the Cambridge Union in 1978. Andrew served in the Army (Royal Tank Regiment) before joining Lazard where he worked with British companies seeking large-scale overseas contracts.

He was the Member of Parliament for Gedling from 1987 to 1997. During this period he held office as a Government Whip and as Minister for Social Security. He also served as a Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1992 to 1993. In 2001 he was re-elected to Parliament as MP for Sutton Coldfield. In November 2003, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Economic Affairs. From September 2004 until the end of the Parliamentary term, he was Shadow Minister for Home Affairs. Following the General Election in May 2005 Andrew joined the Shadow Cabinet and was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for International Development. An experienced and highly effective MP and former Government Minister.

Shadow Secretary of State for Defence with Conservatives Abroad in Dubai

British Conservatives Abroad living in Dubai met with the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox MP who was visiting Dubai. Dr Fox praised the work that Gulf Tories were doing to encourage expatriates living in the Gulf to participate in the next UK general election that is waiting to be called.

Dr Fox said “we really appreciate the work of the Gulf Tories that enables Britons living abroad to keep closely in touch with their political interests in the UK, this also strengthens the much valued political and business links in the Gulf”.

David Haigh, Co-Chairman British Conservatives Abroad UAE said “there are over two million British expatriates worldwide eligible to vote in UK elections with only a small percentage registered. We want to impress upon those potential voters that their vote really counts and encourage the estimated 200,000 living in the UAE to register online to vote as soon as possible”.

The easiest way to register on line is at www.dontleaveyourvoteathome.com

Conservatives Abroad Bahrain receives William Hague, Liam Fox and Hugo Swire

Following our Honorary Chairman’s letter a few days ago, we also have a number of other highlights to point out.

First of all we would like to personally thank those of you who took the time to join us last Wednesday, it was a wonderful opportunity to get to meet a lot of new faces and also some familiar ones. The overwhelming support we have received has been very encouraging and we hope to build on this momentum and organize a number of events in the near future. For those of you that were unable to join us we do hope that you will be able to make it to our next events.

Having discussed with a number of you the need to get senior political figures to visit us in the Gulf and also the feeling of under representation that has been prevalent in the past we are pleased to let you know that results have already been achieved. This weekend, along with the BBBF leaders, we were able to meet a number of politicians who have explicitly expressed their support for our development as a group. Rt Hon William Hague, Shadow Foreign Secretary, and Dr Liam Fox, Shadow Secretary of State for Defense, met with us on Saturday morning at the Ritz Carlton where we were able to discuss with them the great opportunities that lay in the Gulf with the expat community and the need for greater representation. Both expressed their personal support for Gulf Tories and acknowledged the importance of renewing ties that have been allowed to lie fallow under the Labour government.

Additionally, William Hague said “I am delighted that British Conservatives in Bahrain has been established, they are further helping to strengthen the vital political and business ties between Britain and Bahrain which will be an important policy of an incoming Conservative Government”

Dr Liam Fox added, “This wonderful organisation enables British subjects to maintain their political interest in home and emphasises the importance to Britain of one of our closes friends in the Gulf”

Gulf Daily News » Local News » Consevatives Abroad meet British leaders

Some of you may have already seen the coverage in the GDN on Conservatives Abroad but if not here is the link:

Gulf Daily News » Local News » Conservatives Abroad meet British leaders

That evening we were also able to meet with Hugo Swire MP, who is also Secretary of the Conservative Middle Council. He expressed his great interest in mobilizing a network of Conservative expatriates throughout the Middle East to encourage eligible voters to participate in the forthcoming general election.

Things have indeed moved quickly in the last few days but we intend to keep this momentum going and we are currently in the process of organizing a number of other events whose keynote speakers will include important political figures from Westminster. We have had the commitment of these Conservative leaders that there will be further visits in the near future and I will be keeping you updated with mailings over the Christmas period. In the meantime we encourage you to stay in touch and for those of you who are eligible and keen to vote please do let us know so that we can organize suitable proxies.

British Conservatives Abroad hold private inaugural drinks in Bahrain

British conservatives abroad holds private inaugural drinks in Bahrain