The British government said on Thursday it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all UK elections in a major overhaul of the country’s democratic system.
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“They’re old enough to go out to work, they’re old enough to pay taxes … and I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told ITV News.
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Despite that win, Starmer’s popularity has fallen sharply in government after a series of missteps set against a difficult economic backdrop. His party sits second in most opinion polls behind Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK Party.
A poll of 500 16 and 17 year-olds conducted by Merlin Strategy for ITV News showed 33% said they would vote Labour, 20% would vote Reform, 18% would vote Green, 12% Liberal Democrats and 10% Conservative.
* Original Article:
https://www.offthepress.com/uk-plans-to-lower-voting-age-to-16/