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Young people aged 16 and 17 across the UK will be given the right to vote in general elections – in what is being hailed as the most significant democratic reform in a generation.
The change will bring the whole of the UK in line with Scotland and Wales, fulfilling a key manifesto pledge from Labour’s Plan for Change.
The move was announced on July 17 in a new strategy paper entitled Restoring Trust in Our Democracy, which also proposes further changes to widen access to voting, improve transparency in political donations, and protect campaigners from abuse.
“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation… delivering on our manifesto commitment to give 16-year-olds the right to vote,” said Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
The government argues that if 16-year-olds can work, pay taxes, and even join the armed forces, they should have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.
The change will mean millions of young people will be eligible to vote at the next general election.
Other reforms announced include:
-
Allowing UK-issued bank cards to be accepted as voter ID – addressing concerns that existing ID rules deterred hundreds of thousands of voters at the 2024 General Election.
-
Introducing digital voter ID and a more automated registration system, streamlining access and cutting bureaucratic duplication.
-
Closing loopholes on political donations, by banning “shell company” donors and introducing stricter “Know Your Donor” checks.
-
Empowering the Electoral Commission with greater enforcement powers and larger fines – up to £500,000 – for breaking campaign finance rules.
-
Cracking down on abuse of campaigners, with tougher penalties and measures to protect candidates’ safety and privacy.
Predictable backlash – but who are young voters really supporting?
Unsurprisingly, the right-wing media class has erupted in fury.
Broadcaster Andrew Neil took to X (formerly Twitter), mocking the idea that 16- and 17-year-olds are mature enough to vote, while suggesting the move could backfire on Labour:
“Labour thinks it will benefit… It could be in for a shock — I suspect Reform, the Greens and Jeremy Corbyn’s new Jezbollah party are way more popular with this demographic.”
Let’s unpack that.
First, the idea that Reform UK – a party funded by fossil fuel money, obsessed with anti-immigration rhetoric, and sceptical of climate action – holds sway among younger voters is laughable.
Polling has consistently shown that young people are the most environmentally conscious demographic, and far less receptive to the nationalism, anti-woke posturing, and climate denial that Reform represents.
Far more plausible – and potentially more worrying for Labour – is that many first-time voters could be drawn to parties further to the left, like the Greens or the new Jeremy Corbyn–Zarah Sultana project, which speak more directly to young people’s values: climate justice, economic equality, disability rights, and a genuinely anti-austerity message.
With Labour attacking social security claimants and parroting Tory language on economic “toughness,” the idea that they can simply bank the youth vote is far from guaranteed.
Many 16- and 17-year-olds either are or know someone claiming disability benefits – often for mental health reasons – and they see first-hand the consequences of punitive welfare reform.
They’re also the generation raised during austerity, climate breakdown, and rising inequality.
They want change – not triangulation.
Neil may be right that Labour can’t take the youth vote for granted.
But if his prediction is that teenagers will rush to Reform UK, he’s not just out of touch – he’s delusional.
A generational shift
The inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds is part of a wider attempt to reverse decades of political disengagement – particularly among the young.
Turnout among under-25s has consistently lagged behind older voters, a trend exacerbated by voter ID laws and registration barriers.
This reform tears down some of those barriers – and acknowledges young people’s right to shape their own future.
It also signals a government willing to trust voters, rather than fear them.
In a country where trust in politics has been badly shaken by scandals, lies, and years of neglect, rebuilding that trust starts with treating citizens – even the youngest ones – like they matter.
Because they do.
Let’s hope Labour’s leaders are big enough to accept what those young citizens tell them.
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Reforms mean sixteen-year-olds to vote in general elections – right-wingers lose it
Share this post:
Young people aged 16 and 17 across the UK will be given the right to vote in general elections – in what is being hailed as the most significant democratic reform in a generation.
The change will bring the whole of the UK in line with Scotland and Wales, fulfilling a key manifesto pledge from Labour’s Plan for Change.
The move was announced on July 17 in a new strategy paper entitled Restoring Trust in Our Democracy, which also proposes further changes to widen access to voting, improve transparency in political donations, and protect campaigners from abuse.
The government argues that if 16-year-olds can work, pay taxes, and even join the armed forces, they should have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.
The change will mean millions of young people will be eligible to vote at the next general election.
Other reforms announced include:
Allowing UK-issued bank cards to be accepted as voter ID – addressing concerns that existing ID rules deterred hundreds of thousands of voters at the 2024 General Election.
Introducing digital voter ID and a more automated registration system, streamlining access and cutting bureaucratic duplication.
Closing loopholes on political donations, by banning “shell company” donors and introducing stricter “Know Your Donor” checks.
Empowering the Electoral Commission with greater enforcement powers and larger fines – up to £500,000 – for breaking campaign finance rules.
Cracking down on abuse of campaigners, with tougher penalties and measures to protect candidates’ safety and privacy.
Predictable backlash – but who are young voters really supporting?
Unsurprisingly, the right-wing media class has erupted in fury.
Broadcaster Andrew Neil took to X (formerly Twitter), mocking the idea that 16- and 17-year-olds are mature enough to vote, while suggesting the move could backfire on Labour:
Let’s unpack that.
First, the idea that Reform UK – a party funded by fossil fuel money, obsessed with anti-immigration rhetoric, and sceptical of climate action – holds sway among younger voters is laughable.
Polling has consistently shown that young people are the most environmentally conscious demographic, and far less receptive to the nationalism, anti-woke posturing, and climate denial that Reform represents.
Far more plausible – and potentially more worrying for Labour – is that many first-time voters could be drawn to parties further to the left, like the Greens or the new Jeremy Corbyn–Zarah Sultana project, which speak more directly to young people’s values: climate justice, economic equality, disability rights, and a genuinely anti-austerity message.
With Labour attacking social security claimants and parroting Tory language on economic “toughness,” the idea that they can simply bank the youth vote is far from guaranteed.
Many 16- and 17-year-olds either are or know someone claiming disability benefits – often for mental health reasons – and they see first-hand the consequences of punitive welfare reform.
They’re also the generation raised during austerity, climate breakdown, and rising inequality.
They want change – not triangulation.
Neil may be right that Labour can’t take the youth vote for granted.
But if his prediction is that teenagers will rush to Reform UK, he’s not just out of touch – he’s delusional.
A generational shift
The inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds is part of a wider attempt to reverse decades of political disengagement – particularly among the young.
Turnout among under-25s has consistently lagged behind older voters, a trend exacerbated by voter ID laws and registration barriers.
This reform tears down some of those barriers – and acknowledges young people’s right to shape their own future.
It also signals a government willing to trust voters, rather than fear them.
In a country where trust in politics has been badly shaken by scandals, lies, and years of neglect, rebuilding that trust starts with treating citizens – even the youngest ones – like they matter.
Because they do.
Let’s hope Labour’s leaders are big enough to accept what those young citizens tell them.
Share this post:
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