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Keir Starmer thinks 16-year-old votes plan is a winner - it will backfire spectacularly

2025-07-17 00:00:00.0 每日快报-政治原网页

OPINION

The Government has announced that it plans to lower the voting age to 16. (Image: Getty)

At 27, I’m young enough for my first vote to have been during the EU referendum in 2016. I spent that night in a club in Nuneaton, intermittently showing my not-so-bothered friends the results on my phone as they came in. As the sun rose on June 24, I lay in bed, still somewhat intoxicated, watching David Dimbleby make the now-famous declaration of Vote Leave’s victory on the BBC. But even before that, the rather strange 16-year-old me was extremely eager to cast my ballot.

I also vividly remember sitting on the sofa with my dad during the 2010 campaign, watching David Cameron make a speech. "He's going to win," the forthright 12-year-old said. My first General Election in 2017 was a crucial one, and I found it very exciting, even though the result in my constituency at the time, Bosworth, was always a foregone conclusion. If 16-year-olds had the chance to vote during the EU vote, as they will do in 2029 under Government plans announced today, it could have swung the pendulum towards Remain.

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We’ll never know.

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READ MORE: 16-year-olds will have the right to vote at next general election

I first voted aged 18 at the EU referendum, but wanted to cast my ballot even before. (Image: Getty)

But, when the House of Commons is next elected, their influence will be less felt when 1.5million more young people, spread out across local contests, determined on a smaller scale and affected by the seats demographics, are able to take part in the poll.

Never in a million years will all of those newly enfranchised exercise their right.

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On July 9, YouGov found that one in six Britons (18%) are likely to consider voting for a new left-wing party led by the Islington North MP.

This is not even factoring in the Greens - which the young are already fond of- and the Liberal Democrats, which will benefit, as always, from tactical voting.

Many teenagers - perhaps a clear majority - would also obviously vote for Labour, but this will not be the boost to the party’s fortunes that Sir Keir is doubtless envisaging.