People my age have been privileged all our lives, yet we’re still the political priority. Votes at 16 is the start of a welcome change
H
ere it is as promised, a bill introduced to parliament on Thursday proposing to give the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds by the next general election. Good. The accusation from the Conservatives and Reform last year was that this was gerrymandering. “Rank hypocrisy” says the Sun. If polls had shown that the young traditionally swing to the right, would Labour have espoused this? I don’t know.
Nigel Farage’s claim that the young are turning to him is largely overblown, according to YouGov polling, with only 9% of 18 to 24-year-olds saying they would vote Reform – no better than what Ukip achieved in 2015. However there is a gender gap, says More in Common, with boys nearly twice as likely to support parties on the right. The Tories, who will lose out, search for reasons to oppose the bill and come up with some rum arguments. I particularly enjoyed Claire Coutinho’s concern that young people do not need the “added pressure” of deciding whether to focus on their exams or “stay up to watch” political debates, as elections are often in the summer exam season.
