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The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Most Brits want all foreign criminals deported and back building mega-jails to deal with prison overcrowding
THREE in four Brits want all foreign criminals deported, a poll shows. Two-thirds back building mega-jails on remote Scottish islands to deal with prison overcrowding. 2 Nine in ten would rather new prisons be built than see softer sentences. And 77 per cent want courts open longer to deal with the backlog of cases. The same number back building temporary 'Nightingale-style' prisons. Julian Gallie, from Merlin Strategy — who carried out polling for campaign group Crush Crime — said: ''There is overwhelming public support for a tougher stance on crime. 'There is a desire for the government to deal with a justice system the country do not think is working. 'Options including nightingale prisons and even deporting all foreign criminals gain overwhelming support.' Reform MP Sarah Pochin said: 'It's no surprise the public support the need for urgent action to fix the crisis in our prison system.' SHAMELESS Migrant who entered UK with child abuse vids gives thumbs up as he's spared jail 2
New Statesman
2 days ago
- Politics
- New Statesman
Britons increasingly fear future political violence
Photo byA large majority of the British public are concerned about the potential for political violence according to new polling conducted by Looking for Growth and Merlin Strategy. A survey of 2000 adults between 25 and 27 July found that 7 in 10 (70 per cent) are concerned about the potential for political violence. A further 1 in 5 (21 per cent) say that political violence in the UK is acceptable in some conditions. A similar number (18 per cent) say they would consider participating in violent protests as the state of Britain declines. Broken down by party affilation, the survey found that 1 in 3 (32 per cent) of Reform UK voters say political violence is acceptable in some conditions. The Green Party had the second highest number saying violence was acceptable in some conditions (24 per cent). The findings come a year after the murder of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport sparked days of violent rioting across England and Northern Ireland. Riots in Aldershot, Tamworth and Rotherham targeted so-called 'asylum hotels'. The hotels have become a flashpoint once again this summer. Protests around so-called asylum hotels have taken place in Epping, Diss and Canary Wharf in recent weeks. On Saturday clashes took place between anti-racism demonstrators and anti-asylum hotel protestors outside the Thistle Hotel in central London. The Home Office says fewer than 210 hotels are now being used to house asylum seekers, down from more than 400 in the summer of 2023. Meanwhile the number of asylum seekers crossing the Channel has surpassed 25,000 this year, the earliest the figure has been reached. Britons are split on whether it is acceptable to protest outside an asylum hotel, with 47 per cent saying it is acceptable, and 44 per cent saying it is unacceptable. Only 14 per cent say it is acceptable to riot outside an asylum hotel, and only 1 in 5 (19 per cent) of Reform UK voters say it is acceptable to riot outside an asylum hotel. [See also: One year on, tensions still circle Britain's asylum-seeker hotels] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
We shouldn't be surprised young people like me are becoming radicalised
Young people are communists. Wait, they're actually fascists. Or are they both? According to the think tank Onward and Merlin Strategy's Generation Extreme report, the young people of Britain seem to be rather cross with the political mainstream. Some 38 per cent of them now agree that we'd be better off under 'a military strongman with no government or elections'. Quick, somebody tell Keir Starmer. I wouldn't give too much credit to my fellow Gen Zedders and their newfound love for all things extreme. Being able to simultaneously hold favourable views of fascism, communism, and absolute monarchy doesn't suggest a well thought out political realignment. We can't blame a lack of education: my history GCSE curriculum bounced from the evils of Hitler to Stalin with no time to figure out what that chap Henry VIII got up to. So why is it that young people in particular seem to find authoritarianism so agreeable, while the older generations shun the fringes? I believe there's something Freudian afoot. For once, claims that kids these days refuse to grow up have some purchase to them. The stages of life that transform one from a moody teenager to civic-minded taxpayer, complete with a family of your own, seem to have disappeared, with young adults instead suspending themselves in a state of permanent adolescence. This appears to have happened by choice. People avoid having kids so they can spend their money on consumer goods (sorry, Greta, we're really not that bothered about climate change). The option to bore ourselves to death with endless phone-facilitated entertainment has made real socialisation optional. And if you think the modern world is overwhelming and decide you don't want to work, that's no problem: the Government is all too happy to pay for you to rot in bed, wrapping you in cotton wool like an overbearing mother.
Gulf Insider
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
UK To Lower Voting Age To 16, But Could Plans End Up Backfiring?
Britain's left-wing Labour government has announced plans to lower the voting age in time for the next U.K. general election, allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in what it described as sweeping electoral reforms to 'modernize democracy.' Ministers say the move is designed to rebuild public trust, but critics have accused the government of trying to tilt the electoral playing field in its favor, with recent polling suggesting Labour would benefit from a third of the votes. The voting age reform is part of a broader Elections Bill that will also ease voter ID rules by allowing bank cards as accepted identification and introduce tougher regulations on foreign donations, campaigner abuse, and digital voter registration. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the plan would 'break down barriers to participation' and deliver on Labour's manifesto promise to extend the vote to young people who already 'work, pay taxes, and serve in the military.' Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali called it a 'generational step forward.' But Nigel Farage, leader of Reform U.K., responded: 'I'm not in favor of it, but I'm really encouraged by the number of young people that are coming towards us. It's an attempt to rig the political system, but we intend to give them a nasty surprise.' Polling by Merlin Strategy suggests the issue is divisive even among teenagers. Of 500 16- and 17-year-olds surveyed, 49 percent said they did not believe they should be allowed to vote, while 51 percent supported the move. When asked how they would vote, 33 percent backed Labour, but Reform U.K. came in second with 20 percent. Only 10 percent of respondents said they would vote Conservative. BREAKING: The UK is set to lower the voting age to 16 in landmark electoral "Just when you think things couldn't get any worse… we're going to let kids vote over who runs the country – completely and utterly insane!"@JuliaHB1 — Talk (@TalkTV) July 17, 2025 Shadow Communities Secretary Kevin Hollinrake told the Daily Mail the move risks undermining democracy: 'Even 16- and 17-year-olds don't think they're ready to vote. With only 18 percent saying they'd definitely take part in an election, it's clear this is more about politics than principle.' Former editor of The Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, was blunter: 'In a desperate attempt to find anybody to vote Labour, Angela Rayner has announced 16-year-olds can vote. At 16, they know nothing of life and finance and therefore make great socialist fodder.' In a desperate attempt to find anybody to vote Labour Angela Rayner has announced 16-year-olds can vote at the next General Election. At 16 they know nothing of life and finance and therefore make great socialist fodder. Older voters sick of subsidising teenagers born with their… — Kelvin MacKenzie (@kelvmackenzie) July 17, 2025 In a European context, the U.K. now joins Austria and Malta in allowing 16-year-olds to vote in all elections. Germany, Wales, and Scotland permit voting at 16 for local or regional elections, but most European countries still set the national voting age at 18. The move could backfire for the Labour government. Just 43 percent of young people are supportive of the two legacy parties in Britain, Labour and the Conservatives, with the data suggesting they are sympathetic to left and right-wing causes. With talk of a potential splinter party from Labour in the pipeline being set up by far-left MPs Zara Sultana and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and the indisputable success Reform U.K. had at the last general election through its use of social media targeting young people, Keir Starmer's party could find itself being squeezed from both sides.
AsiaOne
18-07-2025
- Politics
- AsiaOne
UK youth celebrate voting rights but urge caution, World News
LONDON — Sixteen and 17-year-olds celebrated their newly granted right to vote in all UK elections on Thursday (July 17), but cautioned that proper education was vital to boost turnout and protect young voters from political misinformation on social media. "I'm really happy about it because I've always been kind of frustrated just watching politics and not being able to do anything," said 16-year-old student Matthew Caronna, adding that many government policies directly impact young people. In a major overhaul of the country's democratic system, the government said the proposed changes were part of an effort to boost public trust in democracy and would align voting rights across Britain, where younger voters already participate in devolved elections in Scotland and Wales. "A lot of people, even from a very young age, have very strong opinions, and they think their opinions should be heard," Ana Fonseca, 16, said. "Even though we are young, it is important to have a say." Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the Electoral Reform Society, said lowering the voting age to 16 could have a long-term impact, as starting to vote earlier may increase the likelihood of continued participation in adulthood. There are about 1.6 million 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK. Just over 48 million people were eligible to vote at the last election, in which turnout fell to its lowest since 2001. The next election is due in 2029. "We know that democracy across the world... is in a bit of a bad place at the moment... and this is why vote at 16 is such a great opportunity to just start to turn the tide on that doom and gloom outlook," Garland added. Some young people, however, are concerned about to which side of the political spectrum the new voters might swing. A poll of 500 16 and 17-year-olds conducted by Merlin Strategy for ITV News showed 33 per cent said they would vote Labour, 20 per cent would vote Reform, 18 per cent would vote Green, 12 per cent Liberal Democrats and 10 per cent Conservative. "All the right-leaning sources get pushed far more than the left-leaning ones (on social media)," Matilda Behrendt, a 17-year-old student, warned. "I think that will be a problem but it also means... various political ideologies can be spread and the ideas can be put across." Julian Gallie, head of research at pollsters Merlin Strategy, said political parties will need to further step up their social media efforts to engage voters under 18. [[nid:719096]]
