Latest news with #ElectionsBill
Gulf Insider
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
UK To Lower Voting Age To 16, But Could Plans End Up Backfiring?
Britain's left-wing Labour government has announced plans to lower the voting age in time for the next U.K. general election, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in what it described as sweeping electoral reforms to 'modernize democracy.' Ministers say the move is designed to rebuild public trust, but critics have accused the government of trying to tilt the electoral playing field in its favor, with recent polling suggesting Labour would benefit from a third of the votes. The voting age reform is part of a broader Elections Bill that will also ease voter ID rules by allowing bank cards as accepted identification and introduce tougher regulations on foreign donations, campaigner abuse, and digital voter registration. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the plan would 'break down barriers to participation' and deliver on Labour's manifesto promise to extend the vote to young people who already 'work, pay taxes, and serve in the military.' Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali called it a 'generational step forward.' But Nigel Farage, leader of Reform U.K., responded: 'I'm not in favor of it, but I'm really encouraged by the number of young people that are coming towards us. It's an attempt to rig the political system, but we intend to give them a nasty surprise.' Polling by Merlin Strategy suggests the issue is divisive even among teenagers. Of 500 16- and 17-year-olds surveyed, 49 percent said they did not believe they should be allowed to vote, while 51 percent supported the move. When asked how they would vote, 33 percent backed Labour, but Reform U.K. came in second with 20 percent. Only 10 percent of respondents said they would vote Conservative. BREAKING: The UK is set to lower the voting age to 16 in landmark electoral "Just when you think things couldn't get any worse… we're going to let kids vote over who runs the country – completely and utterly insane!"@JuliaHB1 — Talk (@TalkTV) July 17, 2025 Shadow Communities Secretary Kevin Hollinrake told the Daily Mail the move risks undermining democracy: 'Even 16- and 17-year-olds don't think they're ready to vote. With only 18 percent saying they'd definitely take part in an election, it's clear this is more about politics than principle.' Former editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, was blunter: 'In a desperate attempt to find anybody to vote Labour, Angela Rayner has announced 16-year-olds can vote. At 16, they know nothing of life and finance and therefore make great socialist fodder.' In a desperate attempt to find anybody to vote Labour Angela Rayner has announced 16-year-olds can vote at the next General Election. At 16 they know nothing of life and finance and therefore make great socialist fodder. Older voters sick of subsidising teenagers born with their… — Kelvin MacKenzie (@kelvmackenzie) July 17, 2025 In a European context, the U.K. now joins Austria and Malta in allowing 16-year-olds to vote in all elections. Germany, Wales, and Scotland permit voting at 16 for local or regional elections, but most European countries still set the national voting age at 18. The move could backfire for the Labour government. Just 43 percent of young people are supportive of the two legacy parties in Britain, Labour and the Conservatives, with the data suggesting they are sympathetic to left and right-wing causes. With talk of a potential splinter party from Labour in the pipeline being set up by far-left MPs Zara Sultana and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and the indisputable success Reform U.K. had at the last general election through its use of social media targeting young people, Keir Starmer's party could find itself being squeezed from both sides.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Major change on who can vote in UK general elections - see how it impacts you
It is the biggest change to the voting age since 1969 - and could add more than 1.5million to the electorate. Here The Mirror looks at they key details announced today Sixteen and 17-year-olds will be given the right to vote at the next general election, the government has confirmed. It is the biggest change to the voting age since it was reduced from 21 to 18 back in 1969 - and could add more than 1.5million to the electorate. Announcing the move, Keir Starmer said if 16 and 17-year-olds are old enough to work and pay taxes they should "have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on". Lowering the vote age is among a raft of measures confirmed by the government today, with others aimed at widening accepted forms of ID to vote in elections and tackling foreign influence. The landmark changes have been welcomed by experts, with one saying the Government has "clearly heard the alarm bells" on the state of the UK's democracy. Deputy PM Angela Rayner added: 'For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline." Here The Mirror looks at the key changes. What are the current rules for voting? Under existing rules 16 and 17-year-olds are already able to cast a ballot in both devolved and local elections in Scotland and Wales. It stands at 18 in both England and Northern Ireland. The age of voting at a general election currently stands at 18 for all four corners of the UK. What is changing? Under proposed measures, which Labour committed to ahead of the general election, the voting age across the UK will be reduced to 16. The change will mean around 1.5million more people are eligible to vote. The government also said it would move towards an automated voter registration system, which is already used in Australia and Canada. Ministers say it will make it much easier for people to register to vote. When is the next general election? The changes are set to happen in time for the next general election, which must be called before August 2029. But the exact date lies with the Prime Minister, who has the power to call a vote earlier. It is expected the changes proposed by the government will be part of an upcoming Elections Bill, which could take many months to pass through both the Commons and the Lords before becoming law. What else can 16 and 17-year-olds do? Keir Starmer has highlighted that 16-year-olds are able to work and pay taxes and should "have the opportunity" to say how they wanted their money spent. They can also serve in the military from 16 (but not on the frontline). 16-year-olds can also apply for a provisional driving licence and can ride a moped but the minimum age to learn how to drive a car is 17. Critics of the plans to lower the voting age have also pointed out that you have to be 18 to stand as a candidate in an election. The same age limit also applies for buying lottery tickets, alcohol, cigarettes, and getting married. Before 2023, 16 and 17-year-olds were able to marry or enter a civil partnership with parental consent, but they are no longer able to do so. Could the youth vote swing key contests? The youth vote has the potential to swing votes in constituencies across the country where the majorities are wafer-thin. There are a total of 114 constituencies where the majority won at the 2024 general election is smaller than the number of 16-and-17-year-olds currently living there. But with young people historically less likely to vote some experts are sceptical about the impact of the change in voter age on politics. Elections expert Sir John Curtice told Politico the impact would be "marginal". But he added that 'age is the biggest demographic division in our electoral politics' with younger voters, who are more left-leaning, 'likelier to vote for Labour or the Greens'. A poll for ITV this week among 16 and 17-year-olds found 33% said they would vote Labour while 20% opted for Reform, 18% for the Greens, 12% for the Liberal Democrats. Just 10% said they would vote for the Tories. What about Voter ID? The Tories introduced controversial new rules forcing voters to show ID at polling stations. The government said "far too many people" are being put off by the rules. While they are not proposing scrapping the policy, the accepted forms of ID will soon include UK-issued bank cards, to make it easier to vote. Will there be any changes to postal voting? Under government plans ministers want to change the deadline to apply for a postal vote from 11 to 14 working days before an election. The policy paper states: "The increased time provides the system with more flexibility and ultimately better serves voters through an improved likelihood of their receiving and being able to return their ballot ahead of polling day." What about foreign donations? The plans will also see a tightening of the rules to crackdown on foreign money influencing UK elections. It will ban "shell companies" from donating to political parties and requiring more checks on donations to unincorporated associations. Unincorporated associations have long been another concern of transparency campaigners, who have warned they can obscure the real source of political donations. The Electoral Commission will be given the power to levy £500,000 fines on those who break the new rules on donations.
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Livingston MP welcomes change in voting age for Westminster elections
The changes, published today in a new government strategy paper, will bring Westminster elections into line with Holyrood and local elections in Scotland, where 16 and 17-year-olds have had the vote since 2014. Livingston constituency MP Gregor Poynton has welcomed the announcement that 16 and 17-year-olds across the UK will be given the right to vote in UK general elections, as part of sweeping new reforms to modernise British democracy. The changes, published today in a new government strategy paper, will bring Westminster elections into line with Holyrood and local elections in Scotland, where young people have had the vote since 2014. The reforms are being hailed as the most significant democratic update in a generation. Gregor said: 'It's absolutely right that 16 and 17 year olds will now have a voice in UK elections. 'In Scotland, young people have been voting in Holyrood and council elections for over a decade and they've brought energy and ideas to our democracy. Young people already contribute to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the military. 'They've got a stake in the future, so it's only right they should have a say in it.' Sixteen-year-olds were first allowed to vote in Scotland in the 2014 independence referendum. The normal voting age had been reduced from 18 just for the referendum. It had been a long-held policy from the SNP to reduce the voting age for all Scottish elections and was supported by Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens In 2015, the voting age in Scottish Parliament and council elections was permanently lowered to 16. The bill passed unanimously in the Scottish Parliament. This meant that 16 and 17-year-olds could vote in the 2016 Holyrood election. The lower voting age has stayed in place for all Scottish elections since. The Welsh Assembly then followed suit in 2020 and reduced the voting age to 16 in Wales. The changes are part of a wider Elections Bill, which will also introduce an expansion of accepted forms of voter ID to include UK bank cards and digital ID formats; tougher rules to block foreign interference in UK politics and close loopholes around political donations from 'shell companies' and stronger protections for candidates and campaigners, including action against harassment and abuse. UK Government minister and Rutherglen MP Michael Shanks said: 'This is great to see and absolutely right that 16 and 17 year olds have a chance to take part in our democratic processes. 'They've been able to vote in Scotland for more than a decade and it's only been a positive thing.' SNP Deputy Westminster Leader Pete Wishart added: 'We welcome this long-overdue change to the UK voting age, which comes more than a decade after the SNP lowered the voting age to 16 in Scotland - and follows years of campaigning by SNP MPs, activists and younger people. 'Thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds have voted in Scottish elections since the SNP changed the law in 2015. It is good to see the UK government finally following the SNP government's lead - so that younger people can have their say at the next UK election. 'Polling shows younger people agree with many of the SNP's key policies - including securing real change with Scottish independence, re-joining the EU, eradicating poverty, tackling the climate crisis, opposing Westminster austerity cuts - and helping young people with free tuition and bus travel. 'Regardless of how 16 and 17-year-olds vote at the next UK election - it can only be a good thing that they will finally have their voice heard.'
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First Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
UK wants to lower voting age to 16: Which other nations allow adolescents to cast ballots?
The UK's Labour government is planning to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next general election in 2029. If the move gains parliamentary approval, around 15 lakh youths will be able to exercise their franchise by 2029. But what do we know? Which other countries allow teenagers to vote? read more A person and a dog wait outside St James' Church polling station during the general election in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, July 4, 2024. File Photo/Reuters The United Kingdom has decided to extend voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds in all elections. In a big democratic overhaul, the British government said it will lower the voting age to 16 by the next general election. It said the proposed changes would align the voting rights across the UK with Scotland and Wales. If the move is approved by the UK Parliament, around 1.5 million (15 lakh) 16 and 17-year-olds will be eligible to vote in the next general election. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Besides the UK, which other countries allow teenagers to vote? Let's take a look. UK to lower voting age The UK government's plan to lower the age for exercising the voting franchise stems from the Labour Party's manifesto promise. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy,' British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said in a statement. She said the government is 'delivering on our promise' on the lower voting age.'Young people already contribute to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the military,' Rayner wrote in a post on X. 'It's only right they can have a say on the issues that affect them.' The development is a part of a series of measures which will be introduced through a new Elections Bill. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the move will give young people a chance to have a say on what their taxes are used for. 'I think it's really important that 16 and 17-year-olds have the vote, because they are old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes, so pay in,' he told ITV News. 'And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Conservative Party has criticised the UK government's plan to lower the voting age. Speaking in the House of Commons, Conservative shadow minister for Housing Paul Holmes described the government's position on the voting age as 'hopelessly confused'. 'Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?' he asked. The next general elections are expected in the UK by August 2029. Which countries allow teenagers to vote? Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina permit 16 and 17-year-olds to vote. However, it is not compulsory for them to cast their ballots, unlike those aged 18 and above, as per The Guardian. Austria was the first country in the European Union to lower its voting age to 16 in 2011. The legal voting age is 16 in Nicaragua, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba and Brazil. The minimum voting age in East Timor, Ethiopia, Indonesia, North Korea and Sudan is 17. Some countries and territories, such as Estonia, Germany, Israel, Puerto Rico, Scotland, and Wales, allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in at least some elections. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Those aged 16 in Belgium, Austria, Germany and Malta, and people aged 17 in Greece can cast their ballots in European elections, as per Unicef. Some states in the US allow 17-year-olds to vote in the presidential or congressional primaries or party caucuses if they turn 18 before the general election. Debate around giving voting rights to adolescents The UK's adolescents are split in their views about lowering the voting age. As per a new poll, almost half of 16 and 17-year-olds do not think they should have the right to vote. The survey of 500 people in the 16-17 age group by Merlin Strategy for ITV News found that 49 per cent did not want the voting age to be lowered to 16, while 51 per cent said it should. 'I am a 17-year-old politics student who is actually against the proposed vote at 16,' Chloe Brown from West Dorset was quoted as saying by BBC. 'We've discussed this again and again through so many different governments and it's clear that lower voter turnout is going to be the norm if this actually goes through, and political parties will turn to populism even further when catering to younger audiences. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'This is not the win for young people Starmer thinks it is, it's just him trying to win back votes from Reform and it will backfire,' she added. Voter turnout at the 2024 UK general election was 59.7 per cent, the lowest since 2001, according to a parliamentary report. A woman enters a polling station as voting gets under way in the Wakefield by-election, in Wakefield, Britain, June 23, 2022. File Photo/Reuters Others have welcomed the move. 'I think it's a really good thing,' 23-year-old business consultant Leo Lardi told Reuters, as the step gives the younger generation 'an opinion and a vote on a lot of the issues that are facing the UK today'. He said that if he could have had the right to vote at 16, it would have made him think more about the issues that affect him. 'The future really affects those who are younger than us,' he added. Critics of lowering the voting age to 16 argue that children are too ill-informed to vote. As per Unicef, other arguments are that adolescents are not too politically engaged or are too vulnerable to manipulation. But these could also be said for adults who have the right to vote. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Many experts say that a 16-year-old has the cognitive and critical thinking capacities to make political decisions independently. Some studies have found that mid-adolescents have similar levels of political knowledge as younger adults. Opponents also say that allowing young people to vote would lead to policy chaos. The argument is that if children are irrational and incoherent but still allowed to vote, the 'outcome of elections, and the policy decisions they give rise to, would surely reflect or be distorted by their ill-conceived and incoherent votes,' Harry Pearse, Research associate, Centre for the Future of Democracy, University of Cambridge, wrote for The Conversation. However, he argued that voting is a 'statement of equality' and a '(loose) guarantee that one's concerns and perspectives will not be systematically overlooked by politicians.' 'The fact that children can't vote means they're denied this respect and protection,' Pearse wrote. With inputs from agencies
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
United Kingdom lowers voting age to 16 in biggest reform since 1969: PM Keir Starmer says 'They're old enough to go out to work'
In a major step towards electoral reform, the United Kingdom is lowering the voting age in the country to permit 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in all elections thanks to the Labour party's upcoming Elections Bill. This was a promise made by current Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his election campaign. In an interview with ITV News, Starmer clarified the rationale behind his decision, saying: "They're old enough to go out to work, they're old enough to pay taxes ... and I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go." While the change in voting age is pending parliamentary approval, the Labour party's majority all but ensures it'll pass. However, Keir Starmer's popularity has been in decline since he took office, with Nigel Farage's Reform UK party catching up to Labour in the polls. Keir Starmer fulfils major campaign promise Keir Starmer and the Labour Party campaigned on electoral reform and empowering younger voters, and with their upcoming Election Bill, they're set to follow through on their promise. Other measures in this Election Bill include expanding voter ID options, tightening regulations on campaign financing and moving towards automatic voter registration. Kier Starmer is changing the plans have been published in a new strategy paper: - Extend the right to vote in UK-wide elections to 16 and 17-year-olds by next general election - Allow UK-issued bank cards to be used as voter ID at polling stations- Permit use of… This change will also standardize voting eligibility laws across the United Kingdom, as the voting age was already 16 in local council elections in Scotland, along with elections to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd. The Elections Bill also heralds the biggest reform to the system since 1969's change to the voting age from 21 to 18. UK right-wingers oppose the reforms The United Kingdom's right wing has come out in opposition to these voting reforms. Conservative party minister Paul Holmes accused the Government of being 'hopelessly confused', saying: "Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?" Paul Holmes take a bow "Why does this government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?" #votingage The Conservative party has also spoken against the usage of bank cards as voter ID, claiming it undermines the integrity of the voting process.
