Scotland reacts as UK voting age lowered to 16 for General Elections
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie added that having to tell young people they could vote in Scottish Parliament and council elections and not in General Elections was 'really unhelpful' as he welcomed the change.
Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali confirmed the pledge would be part of a raft of measures introduced through a new Elections Bill.
READ MORE: Scottish unemployment falls while UK rate rises to highest in 4 years
Other changes include expanding forms of voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards, moving towards automatic voter registration and tightening rules on political donations to protect against foreign interference.
The minimum voting age is already 16 for local council elections in Scotland and Wales and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd.
Lowering the voting age to 16 across the UK would be the biggest change to the electorate since it was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969.
Wishart said: 'We welcome this long-overdue change to the UK voting age, which comes more than a decade after the SNP lowered the voting age to 16 in Scotland – and follows years of campaigning by SNP MPs, activists and younger people.
(Image: Colin Mearns)
"Thousands of 16 and 17-year-olds have voted in Scottish elections since the SNP changed the law in 2015. It is good to see the UK Government finally following the SNP government's lead so that younger people can have their say at the next UK election.
"Polling shows younger people agree with many of the SNP's key policies including securing real change with Scottish independence, rejoining the EU, eradicating poverty, tackling the climate crisis, opposing Westminster austerity cuts, and helping young people with free tuition and bus travel.
'Regardless of how 16 and 17-year-olds vote at the next UK election, it can only be a good thing that they will finally have their voice heard."
READ MORE: 12 countries agree concrete steps to halt Gaza genocide
A pledge to lower the voting age to 16 was included in Labour's election manifesto but it did not feature in last summer's King's Speech, which sets out the Government's priorities for the months ahead.
Ali confirmed the government was planning to introduce the change in time for 16 and 17-year-olds to vote at the next General Election, which is due to take place by 2029 but could be called earlier than this.
Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, said: 'Scotland lowered the voting age to 16 over a decade ago, and it was an immediate and overwhelming success.
'Since then 16 and 17-year-olds have shown high levels of engagement and participation in Holyrood elections, council elections and a referendum.
'But having to tell young people they can vote in some elections and not others is really unhelpful, and it can undermine their willingness to engage.
'Expanding our democracy strengthens it and helps us build a society that better reflects what people want. This change will mean that young people in Scotland finally have the same rights as everyone else and help build their own future.'
Alba's sole MSP Ash Regan added: 'Alex Salmond brought in votes for 16 and 17-year-olds to participate in Scotland's independence referendum in 2014 - a significant decision for all of Scotland.
"The energy and engagement of that campaign lit a democratic fire across Scots of all ages, culminating in an unprecedented 84% of eligible voters casting a ballot.
"I am pleased we will now have consistency in the voting age for all elections in Scotland, even if it has taken Westminster over a decade to catch up."
Among the other plans set out by the Government are expanding the list of accepted ID to vote in Great Britain to UK-issued bank cards, which display the voter's name.
Pressed over whether the security checks of digital banks were robust enough to allow bank cards to be used as a legitimate form of voter ID, Ali said: "We're going to make sure we take the time to introduce the appropriate changes, and that those changes are done gradually, to make sure that there aren't any risks of abuses or things going wrong."
The government said it would also work towards creating an automated voter registration scheme over the coming years, with safeguards so that people are aware of their registration status and can opt-out if they wish.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
a minute ago
- The Sun
Signs for a migrant hotel should not have been covered up & Govt must be open about crisis
Why such secrecy at hotel for migrants? BRITAIN'S migrant hotel crisis gets more bizarre by the day. It is outrageous that signs for a four-star Hilton Hotel have been covered up after asylum seekers moved in. Is it to deter protests from a furious local community or to hide the embarrassment of offering luxury lodgings beyond the reach of many taxpayers to all-male illegal arrivals? The turreted Doubletree by Hilton in West London was converted into migrant accommodation in November as part of a deal with the Home Office. Its website shows pictures of luxury rooms which in other Hiltons could go for up to £260 a night and boasts of a gym and top-class restaurant. But of course they are no longer available to the public. Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to close down migrant hotels, used by roughly 32,000 asylum seekers, by the end of the current Parliament in 2029. The policy, first introduced by the Tories, has caused national outrage, as yesterday's protests up and down the country showed. But the Government needs to be open about this crisis. Peter Kyle complained to social media firms about posts critical of asylum hotels. Now we see hotel signs being covered. Secrecy is never the right policy in the face of enormous costs to the taxpayer. And the legitimate concerns of voters footing the £4million-a-day bill cannot be covered up as easily as a hotel sign. Moment bus full of asylum seekers are 'snuck into' 4-star London hotel under cover of darkness despite UK-wide protests 1 Glorifying terror This is the grim reality of the war-torn territory that Sir Keir Starmer is proposing to recognise as a state — without even insisting Hamas disarms. These fanatics are not only entrenched in Palestinian life but they are bringing up the next generation to revere Israeli-hating terrorists. They are determined to wipe their neighbour off the map. Why should Britain give them sovereign status? Think again, Sir Keir. Our goalden girls OUR Lionesses have been a beacon of light amidst the summer's economic gloom. The PM is right to hint at honours for their stunning Euros triumph. Last week they each got a winner's medal. Now give them some bling from the King.
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
Bassetlaw District Council backs call to limit small HMO conversions
A council has backed a call to tighten planning rules for smaller houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in an area of District Council held a meeting on Thursday after local party leaders raised concerns that more were appearing in the the current planning framework, changing a home to a small HMO is classed as "permitted development", meaning planning permission from the council is not McFarland, Reform UK group leader at the council, has proposed a motion calling for the introduction of Article 4 Direction, which would restrict permitted development rights at the council. Data held by the authority suggests there were 169 HMOs of all sizes in the district - making up about 0.3% of homes in claimed residents "are fed up with inaction" on HMOs, adding that many people attended the council meeting demanding proper regulation."Reform UK brought this motion forward because communities have had enough," he added. Motion was passed The motion also asked for a three-month deadline for council officers to report back to the cabinet and full council with detailed recommendations and a draft Article 4 Direction for formal consideration and of the meeting, McFarland told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "It would give full public consultation and control back to local people where HMOs are located, the amount in an area and more of a say in the future."The council's ruling group, Labour, proposed an amendment to the motion, which essentially concluded the same request to introduce an Article 4 motion read: "It has not been appropriate to delay the work that is already ongoing to manage the development of HMOs for an extraordinary council to be convened."The amendment also removed the three-month deadline in the original motion and stated the council had already been working on managing new HMO development."The use of planning powers, including an Article 4 Directive are already on the Forward Plan and Article 4s have been to pre-scrutiny," it amended motion was passed by the council, beginning the process of an Article 4 Direction being introduced to remove permitted development rights for people wishing to make small HMOs "in areas of Bassetlaw where evidence shows significant growth or concentration of HMOs".It would mean that before an HMO is made, where an Article 4 Direction is in place, a planning application would need to be submitted to the council for a decision to be passed motion will also see the mapping out of current HMOs and assessing their local a statement, Bassetlaw's Labour MP Jo White said she was "very concerned" about the growth of HMOs in the district."The Article 4 Direction will restrict permitted development rights and give residents the opportunity to have their say on the location of new HMOs through the usual planning processes."
Telegraph
a minute ago
- Telegraph
Hamas have made it clear. They want nothing to do with peace
Well, here's a surprise. If, that is, one defines surprise as something obvious, certain and entirely predictable. Hamas has said its 'armed resistance' will continue until an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital' is established. The only person who might actually be surprised by this is Sir Keir Starmer, who on Tuesday revealed himself to be not so much out of his depth in dealing with Middle East policy as plain deceitful. Sir Keir, you will remember, announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state next month, but only if Hamas refused to agree to a cease fire. He didn't put it like that, of course: he said that if Israel instituted a cease fire then the UK wouldn't recognise a Palestinian state. Or to put it the other way round, no cease fire means recognition of a Palestinian state. But it takes both combatants to agree to a deal and, as the US negotiators attest, while Israel has repeatedly agreed to a cease fire, Hamas has repeatedly refused. So in effect the decision lies in Hamas' hands. And guess what has happened? Hamas has today responded to Sir Keir's announcement – and the request of Arab states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that Hamas disarm – by responding to the offer that if they refuse a cease fire they can have a state by saying, quelle surprise, that their 'resistance' will continue. Ever since the Hamas massacre of 1200 Jews on 7 October 2023, Sir Keir has stressed how committed he is to the release of the hostages. He has met Emily Damari, who was released earlier this year, and he has met some of the hostages' families. To each of them, he has said the same thing: that the remaining hostages must be released. But for the prime minister, talk is not so much cheap as a lie. For the first time since 7 October, he had the chance this week to really show he meant what he said and to make UK recognition of a Palestinian state conditional on the release of the hostages – which is a pre-requisite for any cease fire. He chose not to do so. We know this was deliberate and not an oversight not only because he and other ministers have refused to correct reports pointing this out, but also because in a meeting on Thursday night between Foreign Office officials and four British families of hostages, along with their lawyers, this was made unambiguously clear. On Friday the families' lawyers, Adam Rose and Adam Wagner KC, said that 'it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed 'in the round' in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations.' Be clear about what this signals. When you hear Sir Keir or any other minister talk about the government being committed to the safety of Jews and to peace in the Middle East, they are, quite simply, lying. Sir Keir and David Lammy, who is said to have been pushing for recognition for months, are not only devoid of common sense, since their so-called plan for peace is a plan for Hamas to have the initiative; they are devoid of decency. Today's statement by Hamas is not in any way revealing. There is nothing that would surprise anyone who has any understanding of who and what Hamas is. It merely underlines the madness of treating Hamas as some sort of negotiating partner, rather than as a terrorist organisation which must be destroyed.
