Bill to allow 16 year olds to vote to be debated in parliament

16 - 24 year olds are more likely to vote Green than Reform according to the poll result shown on Peston last night (I didn't actually see the programme, just saw a clip of it on BlueSky)

IIRC Green had the highest rank, Labour was second, Reform third, tories and LibDems trailing at the bottom. I have no idea whose poll it was.

I think this is a really funny (ha ha) comment:

Too busy looking at porn & computer games at that age.

If not doing that were made a criteria for having the vote an awful lot of the electorate would be immediately disenfranchised...

GrannyGravy13

Doodledog

What has marrying (a personal matter which impacts only on those concerned) to do with voting? People always bring it up when anything to do with age is mentioned. That and joining the forces. Apples and oranges.

18 is the age of majority. Before that age people are minors with limited responsibility in law. If posters want marriage at 16 to be disallowed they should focus on that, not assume that it means that 16 year olds are therefore adults- they are not. Anyway, I thought marriageable age was now 18? Whether is is 16, 18 or 37 is till irrelevant to voting age though.

I can only speak for myself , I think that there should be one age where people are legally recognised as an adult for purposes such as voting, fighting for your country (you can join the forces at 17 but cannot go into a war situation until 18) marrying and purchasing alcohol.

You can actually join the army at 16, not 17 - but cannot be deployed in a combat role until you are 18. If you join at 16, you go to army college.

ViceVersa yes you can go to a Forces College at 16.

For context:

In 2024, the total registered electorate was 48.2 million.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10009/CBP-10009.pdf

Latest release about lowering the voting age.

There are approximately 1.3 million 16- and 17-year-olds in England and 48,000 in Northern Ireland (based on 2022-23 estimates). Not all would be eligible to register to vote as not all would meet the nationality requirements to register.

So it’s a very small proportion of the overall electorate.

Most other parties in the House of Commons support lowering the voting age. The Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party are opposed. In response to the policy paper Nigel Farage said he was not in favour.

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN01747/SN01747.pdf

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01747/

The Tories never want any kind of electoral reform. They are the one party that has never wanted PR.

That Farage isn’t in favour is probably because he knows that his voter base is predominantly old people. One only has to look at who attends his tent rallies to see that. Ben Habib’s new party is the same.

You Gov Voting Intention poll shows Reform is not popular with young people. Labour support is declining. They favour the Greens.

😂 mazieD

Too young.....but then too many adults make their choice for the wrong reasons. People are too easily influenced. Few take the trouble to find out the facts about a party. Personalities shouldn't come into it but sadly, people will vote for someone because they 'seem nice', or they like the way they dress.
In short, the truth is that many adults are really not competent to make an informed choice.

mum2three

Too young.....but then too many adults make their choice for the wrong reasons. People are too easily influenced. Few take the trouble to find out the facts about a party. Personalities shouldn't come into it but sadly, people will vote for someone because they 'seem nice', or they like the way they dress.
In short, the truth is that many adults are really not competent to make an informed choice.

I would say that at there are those who make assumptions about big issues based on prejudice and a sense of superiority which somehow convinces them that they know how others are motivated and how competent they are. That's democracy though 🤷

I can’t recall which election it was, 2017 or 2019 GE, definitely after the EU referendum.

As I was leaving the polling station, there was a small group of old people standing outside watching a group of teenage girls walking towards the polling station. The station is only metres away from one of the top-ranking grammar schools in the country; obviously A level students, coming to vote for the first time.

I heard one of the old people say, This is what we were dreading. They won’t vote with us.

Now, leaving aside that they will not have known how each young woman was planning to vote, it showed the fear didn’t it? That young people might vote differently.

The over 65s is a demographic of which almost 70% have consistently voted Tory (or Tory/Reform in 2024).

They were responsible for Brexit and 14 years of Tory austerity.

If giving votes to younger people means we might start to see some real social change in my lifetime and a better deal for them, I’m all for it.

I think it should remain at 18 but think that people who have lost capacity should also lose voting rights.

eazybee

Too young, and some will be influenced by school teachers; not allowed , but it does happen, increasingly.
18 is the age.

The age used to be 21. The world kept turning when it was reduced and probably will again.

Meandrogrog

It might backfire. Starmer presumably thinks 16 year olds are more likely to vote Labour, but this may not be the case.

Hmmmmm.....I wonder if 16 year old girls, in particular, might be influenced to vote for whoever Harry Styles recommends.

I'm not being facetious or flippant - I truly think media figures may have influence on some individuals who are, as yet, incapable of taking life seriously.

And some never do.

Last year my grandsons friends ( middle class quite academic) were saying they’d vote for Reform because they thought Farage was ‘funny’.

Going off at a tangent here but I’ve been pondering recently on proportional representation. I’ve always been against it because it seems to throw up coalitions. But I’ve been quite upset about how parties seem to be all about winning the next election and attacking the government for the sake of attacking them. Would the thought of coalitions make parties work together for the good of the country rather than constantly attacking whichever government is in power. Not saying that governments shouldn’t be held to account obviously but not criticism for the sake of it.

Voting is at 16 in Scotland, to my knowledge. When the referendum was being voted for, we teachers had to be very careful not to let personal bias show. There was a debate at the school with politicians on both sides attending. The young people showed an admirable interest in the subject and asked very pertinent questions.

In Scotland, 16-year-olds can leave school, work full-time, marry or enter civil partnerships without parental consent, and vote in Scottish Parliament and local council elections
They can also consent to sexual activity, leave home, open bank accounts, drink beer/wine with meals in restaurants, and drive a moped.

MayBee70

Going off at a tangent here but I’ve been pondering recently on proportional representation. I’ve always been against it because it seems to throw up coalitions. But I’ve been quite upset about how parties seem to be all about winning the next election and attacking the government for the sake of attacking them. Would the thought of coalitions make parties work together for the good of the country rather than constantly attacking whichever government is in power. Not saying that governments shouldn’t be held to account obviously but not criticism for the sake of it.

I so agree with you. When the country is in such a mess as this it seems a good idea to have the brightest and best forming a coalition to run the UK regardless of party.

Too early! Shouldn't vote or go in the services or marry until minimum 18.

I think the best argument for PR is that it’s fundamentally more democratic and potentially gives you a greater chance of making your vote count. Parties have to try and appeal to a wider range of voters for example to get your second preference vote or higher place on the list ( depending which PR system is used).

Mamardoit

I think 16 is too young. The age of majority is 18 and the fact that they can't marry, obtain credit, be sent to war, buy sharp knives or alcohol is good enough reason for them not to have vote. They are considered by society not to be mature enough to do these things.

I agree and they cannot leave training or education until they are 18. I taught 16-18 year olds in a FE college for many years and I can honesty say that very few of them had any interest in politics and I doubt if any of them would have voted.

We absolutely should have PR.

The people rejected AV in 2011 but that is just a watered down version of FPTP.

The Labour government acquired a massive seat majority in 2024 having gained only 34% of the vote. 66% of voters didn’t want this.

The d’Hondt formula (which the Senedd will use in 2026) would allow seats to be allocated in proportion to the number of votes. That’s fair.

All indications are that, based on FPTP, we could have a hung parliament ianyway n 2029 which could cause instability and policy gridlock if no one party wins a large number of seats, albeit not an overall majority, but at least it will be fair.

Labour should be addressing this now.

*

I wonder if people are familiar with the UK Youth Parliament. It is a national, non-partisan initiative established in 1999 that empowers young people aged 11–18 to use their voice for social change.

Here is the House of Commons session which took place on 5 November 2025.

I do urge you to find the time to watch this especially from 11:56 on housing.

parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/89a3202a-c04e-4e5b-a1f1-da4df00c06d4

It was in the Labour Manifesto, so it’s not a surprise. It’s worked fine in Wales. In reality, the young people who do vote are such a small proportion of the electorate that it isn’t likely to affect the outcome in many seats at all.
I think it’s a good idea for young people to be educated about the importance of using their vote whilst still at school. Hopefully it will encourage them to turn up to vote throughout their adult lives.

I don't know what age would be ideal to start voting as individuals differ a lot in maturity. It doesn't seem fair that a young person may pay taxes but has no say in how the country is governed.
I don't think 16-year-olds are more susceptible to voting influence. There are an awful lot of adults who get their information from one source only, or they just parrot the opinion of whoever is shouting the loudest. Just look at MAGA in the US. Ethnic minorities who voted for them getting surprised when they are being deported. Having said that, with all the fake news and media bias out there, it sometimes feels like a full time job trying to keep up with what's actually happening in the world. I think we, who are not in employment anymore and have more free time, have a responsibility to get informed, look at multiple news sites and channels on political issues so that we can get as objective a picture as possible.

I’m 100% with @Grantanow

Brilliant, Tuliptree!

Or the Guardian, Mirror and for good measure The Sun