Latest news with #RushanaraAli
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Britain Will Lower Its Voting Age to 16 in a Bid to Strengthen Democracy
LONDON (AP) — Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections. Britain will join the short list of countries where the voting age is 16, alongside the likes of Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament. The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating candidates. Additionally, the government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7%, the lowest level in more than two decades. Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,' when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament. The next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in U.K. democracy.' Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's 'far from clear' whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. 'It is right to help young people be heard,' he said. 'But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote — particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote — such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
QUENTIN LETTS: This timid, blinky burbler's eyes darted around. She would make a terrible shoplifter
The votes-at-16 announcement was entrusted to Rushanara Ali, a D-lister from Angela Rayner 's department. Ms Ali is 'minister for homelessness and democracy'. There are few parliamentary performers more blinky. She is a timid burbler, a reader-of-precooked-answers whose eyes dart from side to side. Would make a terrible shoplifter. Put her in front of a class of 16-year-olds and they'd reduce her to a gibbering puddle. When politicians go campaigning at the next general election the youngsters will bait them relentlessly. Imagine the mockery when Sir Edward Davey tries asking sixth-formers for their votes. It's going to be a massacre. The Government tried to slip out its policy via a parliamentary written statement but a Tory urgent question meant Ms Ali was despatched to the Commons. No other minister attended. Anxious Ali, quite alone, smiled queasily. It was important, she gulped, 'to strengthen our precious democracy'. Votes at 16 would be introduced along with laxer rules on voter identification at polling stations and new restrictions to stop rich foreigners funding the Tory party. Labour MPs were delighted. When the last government brought in ID checks for voting, the Left complained that it was unfair on upstanding citizens who wished to cast ballots for their numerous wives and dead aunties. Ms Ali, snout buried in her ministerial file, said she wished to 'future-proof our democracy' and 'support young people in their leadership journeys'. When my son was 16 his 'leadership journey' was more about reading Nuts magazine and compiling football statistics. At 18, he was a blazing Corbynista. A year later, he was even more Right-wing than me. Not so much a journey as a game of pinball. On Ms Ali ploughed, woodenly arguing that 'our democracy is central to who we are as a country – we can take pride in its evolution and in how it continues to inspire'. Talking of inspiration, Sarah Coombes (Lab, West Bromwich) informed us that turnout in her constituency last year was 49 per cent. That was because 'the Conservative government did everything it could to destroy trust in politics'. Some 49 per cent is indeed low but imagine how much worse it would have been had Sir Keir Starmer not so galvanised the nation with his charisma and flamboyance. As for the virtuous Coombes, she was previously 'head of policy and communications' for Tom Watson, who smeared the good names of Leon Brittan and Dwin Bramall. Lord Watson, as he now is, has never done anything to 'destroy trust in politics', has he? Up popped Joe Morris (Lab, Hexham), who as usual could have been talking through a games sock. Only the most gifted linguists can understand him. Hand in pocket, shoulders hunched, the Hexham Mumbler possibly said something tremendously statesmanlike but I am afraid I couldn't catch a word of it. The parliamentary correspondent of the Hexham Courant must be a miracle worker to file any copy concerning the town's Hon Member. Nick Timothy (Con, W Suffolk) asked if more foreigners would be given the vote. Ms Ali did not quite deny that possibility. The Lib Dems were terribly excited, not only about votes at 16 but also about the possibility of more proportional representation. Richard Tice (Ref, Boston) was sceptical about postal voting and claimed to have seen people turn up at polling stations with 'bags' of postal votes. Labour MPs were incensed by this claim. Christine Jardine (Lib Dem, Edinburgh W) wanted potential teenage voters to be given information before the next general election. As a sometime journalist, she possibly envisaged 12-year-olds subscribing to The Economist. And why not? They may find it no more baffling than the rest of us. Ms Ali also denounced those who seek to intimidate elected Members. We must hope that a copy of her speech is sent to that tartar Sir Alan Campbell, Government Chief Whip, who just sacked four Labour MPs. He may now have to sack himself for being so out of line with Government policy.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Richard Tice claims he's seen people carrying ‘bags and bags' of postal votes to a polling station
Richard Tice claimed he has seen "people carry bag loads of postal votes to a polling station on election day" during a House of Commons urgent question on Labour 's strategy for elections on Thursday (17 July). Describing Reform UK's opposition against giving 16 and 17-year-olds the vote at the next general election, the party's deputy leader said they have "grave concerns about the risks to security and the risks of impersonation of postal voting." Responding, democracy minister Rushanara Ali reassured Mr Tice: "Personating another voter is a deliberate act of fraud. It completely undermines our democracy and is a serious criminal offence that will continue to be prosecuted. If he has examples, he should report them to the police."
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Britain plans to lower voting age to 16
The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. Advertisement There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating candidates. Additionally, the government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor, and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7 percent, the lowest level in more than two decades. Advertisement Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,' when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament, and the next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy.' Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's 'far from clear' whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. 'It is right to help young people be heard,' he said. 'But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote — particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote — such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
UK to allow 16-year-olds to vote in biggest electoral change since 1969
The British government plans to give 16 and 17 year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in the biggest electoral reform in more than half a century. The plan would see the voting age drop from 18, allowing some 1.6 million young people the right to cast their vote in the next general election, which will be held at the latest in 2029. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the move would boost trust in democracy. "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," Mr Starmer told Britain's ITV News. Sixteen year-olds can already vote for representatives in parliaments and local councils in Scotland and Wales, but not in England or Northern Ireland. Sixteen year-old Iona told the ABC she supported the move. "Young people are going to be stepping up more in politics in the next couple of years, we can already see it happening, so it's good that we have that choice," Iona said. "We deserve that responsibility as we're more aware of what's going on in the world." Ollie told the ABC he was a little nervous at the prospect of voting. "It's quite a bit of pressure, but I think it will be OK," he said. As part of the changes, UK-issued bank cards would become legal forms of voter ID, while the deadline to apply for a postal vote will extend from 11 to 14 days. The UK's democracy minister, Rushanara Ali, said the government planned to address concerns around foreign interference by introducing checks on £500 donations from unincorporated associations and shutting off loopholes used by shell companies. "By reinforcing safeguards against foreign interference, we will strengthen our democratic institutions and protect them for future generations," Ms Ali said. All changes are expected to pass parliament, given the Labour Party's large parliamentary majority following last year's general election. Some 48 million people were eligible to vote at last year's poll, but voter turnout was the lowest since 2001, with 59.7 per cent of voters casting a ballot. The Conservative Party, which was comprehensively defeated at the 2024 election, criticised the government's plan for being inconsistent. Conservative spokesman on community matters, Paul Holmes, described the proposal as "hopelessly confusing". "Sixteen-year-olds will be able to vote in an election but not stand as candidates, and they will be able to vote but not permitted to buy a lottery ticket, consume alcohol, marry, or go to war," Mr Holmes told the House of Commons. Despite its big win, the Labour Party sits second in most opinion polls behind the right-wing Reform UK party, headed by Nigel Farage. Mr Farage also did not support the proposal, saying voters should not be able to cast a ballot in elections they can not legally stand as a candidate in. Candidates need to be 18-years of age or older in the UK to run for election. He also took issue with bank cards being used as voter ID, because there were no photos on the cards to confirm the cardholder's identity. Political sociologist at the University of Sheffield, Dr Christine Huebner, told the ABC it was "a big day for young people in the UK". "Democracy is not going to die, nothing bad is going to happen," Dr Huebner said. She said research in countries that had lowered the voting age, including Brazil, found that trust in democratic institutions rose. "If we think about protecting our democracies from attacks from different angles, that could be a good longer-term outcome in the UK as well." She said research in countries that lowered the voting age like Austria, Scotland and Wales found the younger cohort turned out in slightly higher numbers at the ballot box than those aged 18, 19 and 20. "That's plausible when you think about 18-19-20 being a time when people move out of their family home, maybe start working, go to university, that's an extremely transient period in young people's lives," she said. "Voter turnout is an issue in the UK, and so we hope that that will go up and during the voting age to include 16 and 17-year-olds, especially when it is coupled with good civic education and support for young voters." She said while compulsory voting was one key difference between the Australian and British electoral systems, she believed the evidence found in other countries would also flow on to Australia. "There are opportunities to really make this work for increased trust in democratic institutions, for example, and at the end of the day who to include in the franchise is a political decision," she said.
