Politics Explained

Is Labour trying to rig election system with plans for votes at 16?

Keir Starmer says he will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to have the vote, leading to claims by Tory MPs that he wants to ‘rig future elections’. Political editor David Maddox looks into whether the accusation is true or if the Labour leader is just trying to be fair

Sunday 26 May 2024 18:10

Starmer: ‘If you can work, if you can pay tax, if you can serve in your armed forces, then you ought to be able to vote’ (AFP/Getty)

While much of the election debate is around the personalities of Rishi Sunak versus Keir Starmer or their economic plans or even their proposals to tackle the migration crisis, there are some other serious underlying issues at stake.

One of these is electoral and political reform which is being pushed by Starmer.

The Labour leader has previously spoken of his desire to replace the House of Lords with an elected chamber but rowed back on this. The one policy he has made clear he is committed to as this election gets underway is to give the vote to 16-year-olds. He has also discussed giving it to EU citizens who have not taken British nationality.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

UK EditionChange

Thank you for registering

Is Labour trying to rig election system with plans for votes at 16?

Keir Starmer says he will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to have the vote, leading to claims by Tory MPs that he wants to ‘rig future elections’. Political editor David Maddox looks into whether the accusation is true or if the Labour leader is just trying to be fair

Join our commenting forum