The British government announced on Thursday, July 17, plans to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, marking a historic change in the country’s democratic system.
The proposal still requires parliamentary approval. If passed, it would be the first major change to the UK electorate and voting system since the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1969.
This development fulfills a promise made in the Labour Party’s election manifesto last year. Prime Minister Keir Starmer argued that those old enough to work and pay taxes should also have the right to vote.
“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,” he told ITV News.
The minimum voting age is already 16 for local council elections in Scotland and Wales, as well as elections to the Welsh and Scottish Parliaments.
Despite this being a key part of Starmer’s election campaign, his popularity and that of his party have fallen sharply. Labour currently ranks second in most opinion polls, trailing behind the right-wing Reform UK Party.
A poll of 500 16- and 17-year-olds conducted for ITV News showed 33% would vote Labour, 20% Reform, 18% Green, 12% Liberal Democrats, and 10% Conservative.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan called the move a “huge step forward” for UK democracy. “Young people deserve a greater say in their future. This is a change I have been calling for since my time as an MP and is long overdue,” he wrote on social media platform X.
However, the youth directly affected by the change remain divided. While some hail it as a “landmark moment for democracy,” others view it skeptically.
“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,” 17-year-old Chloe Brown told the BBC.
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
