Overview

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration has introduced legislation to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 for all UK elections.
• Parliament will review the draft bill with a view to enactment ahead of the next general election, scheduled by 2029.
• The change would mark the first nationwide adjustment to voting eligibility since 1969, when the age was cut from 21 to 18.
• Prior to this proposal, Northern Scotland and Western Wales had already extended voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds in local contests.
• The Labour Party made the reduction a 2024 manifesto promise and the government argues that young taxpayers and national service participants deserve a voice.