16-year-olds to be given vote at next election in landmark change
The government announced that people under the age of sixteen can vote in the next general elections.
For the first time, 16 and 17 -year -old children will be given the right to vote as part of what ministers say that there are “seismic” changes in British democracy.
The change will make the UK -wide elections compatible with Scotland and Wales when the country went to surveys due to the last summer of 2029.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “Our democracy has been damaged the trust of the public for a long time and the belief in our institutions was allowed to decrease.
Uz We take action to destroy the obstacles of participation that will enable more people to participate in the British democracy.
Ministers, sixteen -year -old children are already working, paying taxes and serving in the army.
Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali said that the movement would “take a generation to regain public confidence and increase the participation of British democracy”.
However, politicians from other parties accused Keir Starmer of a change of “publishing future elections”.
The Prime Minister insisted that the problem was one of the justice last year. He said: “If you can work, if you can pay taxes, if you can serve your armed forces, you should be able to vote.”
There is only one handful of countries in the world where voting age is less than 18. In 2024, only Nicaragua, Scotland (for the transferred Scottish Parliament and Council elections), Adam, Guernsey, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Cuba, Brazil and Austria voted at 16.
Last year, Toray Deputy Andrea Jenkyns has lost its place since then and fled to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party A Video in X (Old Name Twitter) Starmer claims to “publish future elections”.
Plans will also see the bank cards given by the UK as an identity form accepted at voting stations. The government said that a more automatic voter registration system will also facilitate the voting of the records.
New changes will close the gaps that will allow foreign donors to influence British political parties through ‘shell companies’. In addition, reforms will allow the Election Commission to receive more heavy fines for those who violate political financial rules and to receive harder penalties for those who abuse election campaigns.
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