Latest news with #HarryQuilter-Pinner
The Star
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
The UK plans to lower the voting age to 16. Here's what to know
2029 voters?: In a few years, these students can already leave school, work, pay taxes and join the military, so why not vote, the British government poses. — Agencies THE British government said last Thursday that it would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote, in what it described as a landmark moment for democracy and some of its opponents decried as an attempt to tilt the electoral playing field. Analysts have described the plan as the country's largest expansion of voting rights in decades. The last nationwide reduction in voting age, to 18 from 21, came more than 50 years ago. 'Declining trust in our institutions and democracy itself has become critical, but it is the responsibility of government to turn this around and renew our democracy, just as generations have done before us,' the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, wrote in an introduction to a policy paper that included the announcement. The plan also includes promises to tighten laws on foreign donations to political parties and to simplify voter registration. Here's what to know about the change and its implications. > Do many places give 16-year-olds the vote? Several nations do, including Austria, Malta and Brazil, while in Greece the voting age is set at 17. Others allow 16-year-olds to participate only in some elections: In Germany and Belgium, they can help choose members of the European Parliament, but they cannot vote in federal elections. Britain has been in that category: Elections for the separate parliaments that control many policy areas in Scotland and Wales already had a voting age of 16. > Is this change a surprise? No. The center-left Labour Party has backed votes for 16-year-olds for some time, and the idea was part of the official platform on which it won last year's general election. > Will it definitely happen? How long will it take? The move requires a law, which will have to get through both houses of Parliament, so this change is some way off. But Labour has a large majority in the elected House of Commons, and the appointed House of Lords traditionally restrains itself from interfering with election promises. There's plenty of time, too: The next general election is not expected until 2029. > Is 16 a standard age limit in Britain? The government points out that 16-year-olds in Britain can leave school, work, pay taxes and join the military. Critics of the voting age change note that 18 is the legal minimum age to run as a candidate in an election, to take part in armed combat in the military, to marry and to buy alcohol or a lottery ticket. > Does Britain need to worry about participation in elections? There are some worrying signs. Turnout at the 2024 general election was 59.7% – the lowest since 2001 and 7.6 percentage points lower than in the previous general election in 2019. 'Our democracy is in crisis, and we risk reaching a tipping point where politics loses its legitimacy. The government has clearly heard these alarm bells,' said Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research. > Who would 16-year-olds vote for? Polls in Britain have long showed younger voters skewing left. So Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hope that his center-left party benefits – while the Greens might also expect a lift. Paul Holmes, a senior lawmaker for the main opposition Conservative Party, described the plans as a 'brazen attempt by the Labour Party, whose unpopularity is scaring them into making major constitutional changes without consultation.' But some recent polling has found growing support among young people for Reform UK, a new right-wing populist party led by Nigel Farage that is strongly anti-immigration. One survey earlier this year showed almost 1 in 5 of 18-to-24-year-olds favoured Reform, although Labour was still ahead with this age group. Far-right parties in some other European countries, notably France, have claimed growing support among young people. Also worth noting: The last cut in voting age, in 1969, was also implemented by a Labour government – which then lost the subsequent election. > How else could the plans increase voter participation? The government says it will create a more automated voter registration system, reducing the need to provide personal details to access different government services. It will also expand the range of documents that voters can use as proof of identity to include payment cards issued by British banks. > Why does the government want to restrict foreign political donations? There was speculation late last year that technology billionaire Elon Musk might donate to Reform UK, though he then cooled on Farage. But that episode raised concerns with some lawmakers about foreign interference in British elections. In the proposals outlined Thursday, the government said it would tighten checks on some donations and prevent a foreign donor from setting up a shell company in Britain to channel cash to a political party. — ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Britain Will Lower Its Voting Age to 16 in a Bid to Strengthen Democracy
LONDON (AP) — Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections. Britain will join the short list of countries where the voting age is 16, alongside the likes of Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament. The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating candidates. Additionally, the government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7%, the lowest level in more than two decades. Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,' when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament. The next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in U.K. democracy.' Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's 'far from clear' whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. 'It is right to help young people be heard,' he said. 'But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote — particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote — such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools.'
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Britain plans to lower voting age to 16
The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. Advertisement There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating candidates. Additionally, the government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor, and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7 percent, the lowest level in more than two decades. Advertisement Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,' when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament, and the next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy.' Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's 'far from clear' whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. 'It is right to help young people be heard,' he said. 'But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote — particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote — such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools.'
News18
3 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in bid to strengthen democracy
London, Jul 17 (AP) Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 before the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The centre-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16 and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections. Britain will join the short list of countries where the voting age is 16, alongside the likes of Ecuador, Austria and Brazil. The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. The government also said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission has estimated that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7 per cent, the lowest level in more than two decades. Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969," when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament. The next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline," Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy." (AP) SKS RD RD (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 17, 2025, 17:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Britain will lower its voting age to 16 in a bid to strengthen democracy
LONDON — Britain will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation, the government announced Thursday. The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain's Parliament. Scotland and Wales already let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local and regional elections. Britain will join the short list of countries where the voting age is 16, alongside the likes of Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. A handful of European Union countries, including Belgium, Germany and Malta, allow 16-year-olds to vote in elections to the European Parliament. The move comes alongside wider reforms that include tightening campaign financing rules to stop shell companies with murky ownership from donating to political parties. Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said the change would strengthen safeguards against foreign interference in British politics. There will also be tougher sentences for people convicted of intimidating candidates. Additionally, the government said it will introduce automatic voter registration and allow voters to use bank cards as a form of identification at polling stations. The previous Conservative government introduced a requirement for voters to show photo identification in 2022, a measure it said would combat fraud. Critics argued it could disenfranchise millions of voters, particularly the young, the poor and members of ethnic minorities. Elections watchdog the Electoral Commission estimates that about 750,000 people did not vote in last year's election because they lacked ID. Turnout in the 2024 election was 59.7%, the lowest level in more than two decades. Harry Quilter-Pinner, head of left-leaning think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the changes were 'the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969,' when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21. The changes must be approved by Parliament. The next national election must be held by 2029. 'For too long, public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline,' Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said. 'We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in U.K. democracy.' Stuart Fox, a politics lecturer at the University of Exeter who has studied youth voting, said it's 'far from clear' whether lowering the voting age actually increases youth engagement. 'It is right to help young people be heard,' he said. 'But there are other measures which are more effective at getting young people to vote — particularly those from the poorest backgrounds who are by far the least likely to vote — such as beefing up the citizenship curriculum or expanding the provision of volunteering programs in schools.'
