How will teenage voters transform politics?
The assumption might be that this extension of the vote to 16- and 17-year olds will bolster Labour's vote at the next election. The 2024 election saw a large majority of the 18-24 demographic turn out for Starmer, with 41 per cent doing so. A further 19 per cent voted for the Green Party and just 5 per cent bothered to fly the Conservative flag, indicative of the (already) well-known trend that younger voters are more likely to lean left.
But for those trembling at the prospect of having voters younger than 'Gangnam Style', The Avengers and the London Olympics, never fear. After a turnout fall from 47 per cent to 37 per cent amongst 18-24 year olds at the last election, it seems incredibly unlikely that this will push the needle much in regard to electoral outcomes. Angela Rayner's supporting piece for this policy published in the Times quotes a figure of '1.6 million' potential new voters. If that same 37 per cent turnout figure is applied, that leaves 592,000, slightly more than 2 per cent of the 2024 vote total. And this is still significantly dwarfed by the roughly nine and a half million pensioners who took part. Britain remains substantially a gerontocracy.
However, young people are also not homogenous. Even if Labour are expecting a boost, this demographic could surprise them. As stereotypes dictates, this is genuinely a generation that gets its news from TikTok and Instagram. And while the word 'youthquake' originally referred to the millennial surge for Corbyn in 2017, these days it's the far-right populism that dominates much of social media. Nigel Farage has more TikTok followers than all other MPs combined. The biggest news source on the platform is the Daily Mail at 23.2 million followers.
And if some young people are drifting right – even far-right – Labour could also have the opposite problem on their hands. As Oli Dugmore writes for the New Statesman, among young people 'Palestine is the governing moral question of conversation', with the Labour party seen as complicit in Israel's military campaign in Gaza. Dugmore likens the radicalisation currently taking place to the feelings around the Vietnam War during the 1960s. It's hard to see that these young people, watching war crimes unfold on their sticky iPads, will spontaneously come to Keir Starmer's aid at the next election. More likely, they'll rally to Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's new party (the latter is the second-most popular MP on TikTok).
'This is democracy in action,' writes Angela Rayner in the Times. But as democracy has proved so many times in the past decade, sometimes people don't vote the way you expect them to.
[Further reading: Gaza will radicalise a generation]
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
UK working on plans to air drop aid into Gaza, PM says
The UK is working with Jordan on plans to air drop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed in a call with French and German counterparts. The Prime Minister held emergency talks with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and screensmoke' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Saturday it was allowing UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops, and that it had reconnected power to a desalination plant into the territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Mr Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. However, Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. But Mr Lazzarini said airdrops can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive aid through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 'airdrops of aid will resume' including 'seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food'. It said it would allow 'safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'. The state also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. US President Donald Trump has suggested Mr Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter'. The Prime Minister will meet the US president during his trip to Scotland, where he arrived on Friday evening. Ceasefire talks have been at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's opposite number Dame Priti Patel said she had 'repeatedly pressed' him on 'what specific and deliverable solutions he is trying to advance on aid'. 'The British Government needs to be leveraging its influence and the UK's considerable aid expertise to bring about practical solutions that alleviate the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,' she said. 'The priority must be to get as much aid in as possible, delivered safely and exclusively to innocent civilians. 'Diplomacy is about finding solutions, not just issuing condemnations.' Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UK said recognising Palestinian statehood would 'reward' hostage-taking and killing by Hamas. 'Recognising a Palestinian state in a post-October 7 reality would be nothing less than a reward for terrorism,' she wrote in the Telegraph.
North Wales Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
UK working on plans to air drop aid into Gaza, PM says
The Prime Minister held emergency talks with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz on Saturday amid mounting global anger at the humanitarian conditions in the enclave. In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and screensmoke' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Saturday it was allowing UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops, and that it had reconnected power to a desalination plant into the territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Mr Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. However, Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. But Mr Lazzarini said airdrops can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive aid through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 'airdrops of aid will resume' including 'seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food'. It said it would allow 'safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'. The state also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. US President Donald Trump has suggested Mr Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter'. The Prime Minister will meet the US president during his trip to Scotland, where he arrived on Friday evening. Ceasefire talks have been at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's opposite number Dame Priti Patel said she had 'repeatedly pressed' him on 'what specific and deliverable solutions he is trying to advance on aid'. 'The British Government needs to be leveraging its influence and the UK's considerable aid expertise to bring about practical solutions that alleviate the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,' she said. 'The priority must be to get as much aid in as possible, delivered safely and exclusively to innocent civilians. 'Diplomacy is about finding solutions, not just issuing condemnations.' Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UK said recognising Palestinian statehood would 'reward' hostage-taking and killing by Hamas. 'Recognising a Palestinian state in a post-October 7 reality would be nothing less than a reward for terrorism,' she wrote in the Telegraph.
The Herald Scotland
37 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
UK working on plans to air drop aid into Gaza, PM says
In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'. 'The Prime Minister set out how the UK will also be taking forward plans to work with partners such as Jordan to air drop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance,' a Downing Street spokesperson said. However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency warned airdrops were 'a distraction and screensmoke' that would fail to reverse deepening starvation in Gaza, and could in some cases harm civilians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Saturday: 'A man-made hunger can only be addressed by political will. Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.' Israel said on Saturday it was allowing UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops, and that it had reconnected power to a desalination plant into the territory, where there is widespread devastation. The readout made no mention of the issue of Palestinian statehood, which the Prime Minister has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Mr Macron confirmed his country would do so in September. However, Downing Street said the leaders had committed to 'work closely together on a plan' to 'pave the way to a long-term solution and security in the region'. Once the proposals have been 'worked up', they will seek to advance them with other key partners, including in the region, the readout said. Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week. US President Donald Trump said a French announcement on Palestinian statehood 'doesn't matter' (Robert Perry/PA) Sarah Champion, the senior Labour MP who organised the letter by parliamentarians, said recognition 'would send a powerful symbolic message that we support the rights of the Palestinian people'. Other senior Commons figures who signed the letter include Labour select committee chairs Liam Byrne, Dame Emily Thornberry and Ruth Cadbury. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as Tory former minister Kit Malthouse, and Sir Edward Leigh – Parliament's longest-serving MP – also signed it. The majority of those who have signed, 131, are Labour MPs. The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process. Charities operating in Gaza have said Israel's blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing people there towards starvation, warning that they are seeing their own workers and Palestinians 'waste away'. But Mr Lazzarini said airdrops can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive aid through is more effective and safer. 'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said. 'It is a distraction and screensmoke.' In a statement on Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 'airdrops of aid will resume' including 'seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food'. It said it would allow 'safe movement of UN convoys delivering food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'. The state also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. US President Donald Trump has suggested Mr Macron's announcement, which saw him commit to formally recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September, 'doesn't matter'. The Prime Minister will meet the US president during his trip to Scotland, where he arrived on Friday evening. Ceasefire talks have been at a standstill after the US and Israel recalled negotiating teams on Thursday, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's opposite number Dame Priti Patel said she had 'repeatedly pressed' him on 'what specific and deliverable solutions he is trying to advance on aid'. 'The British Government needs to be leveraging its influence and the UK's considerable aid expertise to bring about practical solutions that alleviate the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza,' she said. 'The priority must be to get as much aid in as possible, delivered safely and exclusively to innocent civilians. 'Diplomacy is about finding solutions, not just issuing condemnations.' Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to the UK said recognising Palestinian statehood would 'reward' hostage-taking and killing by Hamas. 'Recognising a Palestinian state in a post-October 7 reality would be nothing less than a reward for terrorism,' she wrote in the Telegraph.
