6 days ago
Votes for 16-year-olds will ‘disrupt exam season'
Sir Keir Starmer's plan to lower the voting age to 16 will disrupt exam season, a Tory shadow minister has claimed.
Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said young people do not need the 'added pressure' of deciding whether to focus on their exams or 'stay up to watch' political debates.
Downing Street this week confirmed a proposal that will mean 1.5 million 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to vote at the next general election and potentially in local elections before then.
The GCSE and A-Level exam season usually spans May and the first half of June – traditionally the time of year at which prime ministers have been most likely to call elections.
Ms Coutinho, who has recently returned from maternity leave, told Times Radio: 'The thing that I worry about, and I might be speaking as a new mum, is that it's exam season.
'Elections are often in May, June, July and I don't really think 16 and 17-year-olds need this added pressure of being dragged into politics.'
She added: 'Can you imagine saying, 'OK, I've got this right, it's a new right, I've got exam season coming up but maybe I should stay up to watch this political debate, maybe I should be out there campaigning.'
'Personally, I think 18 is the right age. I have no problem with politicians wanting to compete for younger votes [...] I don't think you have a massive difference between 18 and 16.'
Ms Coutinho went on to say that because most 16 to 17-year-olds would be sitting GCSEs or AS-Level exams, 'I just don't think it is the right thing for them'.
Sir Keir's son was taking his GCSEs when the last general election was called.
The now-Prime Minister then borrowed an £18 million penthouse flat from Lord Alli, saying this allowed his son to study for his exams without walking past journalists or protesters.
He said at the time: 'We had a situation where the election was called. Not what we expected.
'My son happened to be in the middle of his GCSEs. That means there are a lot of journalists outside the front door and in the street. I'm not complaining about that.
'But if you're 13, as my girl is, if you're 16, as my boy is, that's quite hard to navigate when you're concentrating on GCSEs.'
Sir Keir's plans to drop the voting age to 16 comes after a surge in the popularity of Reform. Labour, like other Left-wing parties, has traditionally been more attractive to younger people.
Downing Street is expected to press ahead with the reform despite it not having been planned for Labour's first parliamentary session, suggesting an element of panic over the next national poll.
A Telegraph analysis suggested that giving 16-year-olds the vote will hand nine Commons seats to Labour that would otherwise have gone to Reform.
Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, said the plans amounted to 'an attempt to rig the political system' but vowed to give Labour 'a nasty surprise' amid his rising social media popularity.
