Votes at 16 policy ‘hopelessly confused', claim Conservatives
Paul Holmes asked in the Commons why the Government plans to lower the voting age while 16 and 17-year-olds are not allowed to buy lottery tickets or alcohol.
He summoned democracy minister Rushanara Ali to the despatch box to take questions about the Government's plans, which it had originally set out in a written statement.
Conservative shadow housing, communities and local government minister Mr Holmes told MPs: 'This strategy has finally revealed their ambition for allowing a 16-year-old to vote in an election but not stand in it, probably because young people are being abandoned in droves by the Labour Party.
'So, why does this Government think a 16-year-old can vote but not be allowed to buy a lottery ticket, an alcoholic drink, marry, or go to war, or even stand in the elections they're voting in?
'Isn't the Government's position on the age of majority just hopelessly confused?'
Responding, Ms Ali said: 'This Government was elected on a manifesto that committed to granting 16-year-olds the right to vote and protecting our democracy from foreign money.
'So, can I remind (Mr Holmes) that his party lost the election in the worst general election defeat for decades? It's no wonder that the party opposite are scared of the electorate.
'The truth is, young people deserve to have stake and to have a say in the future of our democracy. Young people can vote for any party they like, and it speaks volumes that (Mr Holmes) would prefer for them to be silenced.'
Ministers will bring forward a bill before 2029 which will include extending the right to vote to 16 and 17-year olds, and work to create a system of automated voter registration, according to the Government.
Teenagers aged 16 or over can already vote in Holyrood, Senedd and local government elections in Wales and Scotland, but not in UK parliamentary elections.
The Government has also vowed to close 'loopholes' which allow foreign donors to give political parties money through UK-based companies.
Ms Ali said the Conservatives 'sat in government for 14 years and did nothing to close the gaping loopholes allowing foreign interference and foreign money to enter' the system.
She later set out that the Government would 'give courts the powers to increase sentences for those who are hostile to candidates', and added: 'An aggravated factor for intimidatory offence will be introduced allowing courts to pass proper sentences.
'We will also remove the requirement to publish addresses of candidates, and we will consult with the Crown Prosecution Service and Sentencing Council and other judicial bodies.'
Mr Holmes had earlier asked why the Government had chosen to announce the changes in writing.
'Instead of the democracy minister using this democratic chamber to announce a new wide-ranging strategy on democracy, the Government chose to announce it to the press in the Monday Number 10 lobby briefing, typical of Government by press release,' he said.
'Why has there been no consultation of political parties to date?'
Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Sarah Olney said there are 'many aspects' of the proposals which her party supports.
She asked: 'Will they finally scrap first-past-the-post and introduce fair votes via proportional representation?'
Ms Ali replied: 'The Government has no plans to change the electoral system for UK parliamentary and local elections.'
The minister also took a question about banning cryptocurrency donations.
Labour former minister Liam Byrne said: 'I welcome the measures to take out dark money from our politics, but they will mean nothing unless we move forward aggressively to ban cryptocurrency donations into British politics.
'They are used for money laundering, they are used to disguise dark money, they have no role in British politics. Will she confirm the elections bill will ban cryptocurrency donations?'
Ms Ali said: 'Our reforms on political finance to further strengthen our democracy will apply to all donations, regardless of form, and that includes cryptocurrency.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
3,000 new police officers to be placed in communities
Labour minister Diana Johnston has vowed that every community in England and Wales will now have a named and contactable police officer. Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, the policing minister confirmed that 3,000 new police officers have been recruited to assist neighbourhoods. Members of the public can find their local officer by entering their postcode on their force's website or by making a phone enquiry. The government has allocated £200 million to police forces to ensure the effective implementation of this scheme.
BBC News
9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Why Gers figures will play a prominent role in the Scottish election
Gers-day, every August, is a statistical festival to add to Edinburgh's other colourful offerings. It gives performers a wide variety of creative options to attract into them, and you'll find Scotland's public finances benefit a lot from the generosity of the Treasury in London. Spending per head last year was nearly £2,700 ahead of the figure for the UK as a you may find, as the Office for National Statistics told us for 2022-23, that spending per head is higher in same set of figures showed us that the net transfer of funds was not as big as the ones for north-west England, Wales, Yorkshire and Humberside or the West Midlands. Just because Scotland is the only part of the UK to go through this annual analysis does not mean it's the outlier. Dig a bit deeper, as the Scottish government has done, and you'll find that devolved revenues have been rising faster than devolved expenditure. That was the first choice of interpretation by Holyrood's Finance Secretary Shona may be so, but expenditure is a much bigger number than devolved revenue, so the growth rates don't matter as much as the actual minister added that Scotland raises more money per head than other parts of the UK except London and south-east puts it in that position is oil and gas tax revenue, which is on a long-term downward trend. Even if it weren't, it's widely recognised as an unreliable way to balance the nation's on the bright side of independence doesn't answer the awkward questions this raises, where there would be no division between devolved and reserved finances and a future with not much oil and gas revenue flowing. What choices would an independent Scottish government make? An independent Scotland would, last year, have had to borrow – if it could persuade the bond markets – more than one ninth (11.7%) of the economy's annual total output. The UK last year was borrowing one-twentieth (5.1%), while the European Union tells it members that less than one-thirtieth (3%) is more like the maximum sustainable answer from supporters of independence is that they could unleash the potential of the Scottish economy to grow faster and fill Holyrood's coffers with more tax revenue. That is preferable to setting out where the spending axe might have to figures, they remind us, reflect the slow growth you get under the current constitutional arrangements, and it should be possible to do much already finding that faster growth, sought by ministers in Westminster and Holyrood, is hard to achieve. It depends on the choices a newly independent Scottish government would make. There are trade-offs between growth and independent future may not seem imminent. But First Minister John Swinney has made that his chosen battleground for the Holyrood election next May. These Gers figures will surely feature in that debate.
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC forced to edit flagship Today programme and apologise after Robert Jenrick was branded 'xenophobic' for Mail on Sunday article
The BBC was forced to edit its flagship Today programme and apologise after a guest branded Robert Jenrick 'xenophobic'. Author and refugee charity boss Dr Krish Kandiah prompted fury after he criticised this weekend's Mail on Sunday front page in which the shadow justice secretary said he worried for his young daughters and defended residents protesting against asylum hotels. During the Thought for the Day segment this morning, the theologian suggested the Tory MP's concerns were 'irrational' and such language 'fuelled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers.' But after Mr Jenrick said that it was wrong to brand those who fear for their children 'racist', saying they were instead 'good parents', the BBC removed segments from the Radio 4 breakfast broadcast. They also issued an apology for the 'inclusion' of some of the language used. 'On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist,' Mr Jenrick tweeted. 'Wrong. You're a good parent.' The row erupted after Dr Kandiah said: 'A front page story in The Mail on Sunday quoted shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick talking about his fears for his young daughters,' he said. 'He said, "I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom we know next to nothing." 'These words echo a fear many have absorbed. Fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. 'All phobias are by definition irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact. 'It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they've been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story. However, over the past year, xenophobia has fuelled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities.' Dr Kandiah then quoted statistics saying the majority of people arriving in small boats are 'found to be genuinely fleeing war, persecution and famine'. He did not state that the boats cross the Channel from France – a safe country – before arriving in the UK. Reform MP Richard Tice defended Jenrick, saying: 'Delusional lefty filling R4 Today as usual. 'Trying to smear and label anyone who stands up for British women and girls 'We should be proud of Britain, our traditional values and affirm that our culture is superior to the anti-women misogynistic culture of some other nations.' A Tory source said: 'Thought for the Day has long descended into a bunch of nobodies wittering on about their mad-hat socialist ideas. 'If the BBC are not prepared to broadcast serious religious voices they should at least ensure the second-rate ones they do find are balanced.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Today's episode of Thought for the Day contained reflections from a faith perspective on fear in society but has been edited to remove some of the language used and we apologise for its inclusion.'
