Keir Starmer has made headlines recently for suggesting 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote. Political rivals have also pointed out that in 2020, he suggested that EU citizens living in the UK should be allowed to vote.
Starmer Made Suggestion in 2020
When campaigning to be Labour leader in 2020, Starmer suggested that EU nationals living legally within the UK could be given election voting rights.
Original Suggestion Caused Concern Amongst Brexiteers
When he originally made the suggestion, the Conservative party criticized him for “laying the groundwork to drag the UK back into the EU by stealth”.”
EU Nationals Already Have Some Voting Rights
Under UK law, EU citizens legally living in the UK are allowed to vote in local and devolved elections. However, these powers don’t extend to general elections.
Starmer Asked About Policy Now
When questioned in this campaign about whether he could rule out votes for EU citizens, Sir Keir replied: “Yes.”
Starmer Stance on Europe Seems Tougher
At the moment, the Labour party hasn’t shared much about how our relationship with Europe will develop should they win the election. Although a known Remainer, Starmer has ruled out re-joining the EU.
Labour Leader Won’t Voting Rights Extended
Sir Keir recently said: “On the votes for 16 and 17-year-olds, I strongly believe if you can work as you can when you’re 16 and 17, if you can serve in our Armed Forces, if you pay your taxes as you do if you’re a 16 or 17-year-old, you have a right to say how those taxes are going to be used.”
Labour Popular Amongst Youngsters
Figures by YouGov and Statista show that Labour is the most popular party for younger voters. The data suggests that 68% of 18-24-year-olds vote Labour, whereas only 7% vote Conservative.
Youth Vote Unlocks More Voters
Population data from the Office for National Statistics shows that there are currently around 1.6 million 16-—and 17-year-olds in the UK. Unlocking their votes could potentially give the Labour Party a huge boost.
Tories Terrified of Youth Vote
Understandably, those on the right of the political spectrum are worried that younger people would be given the right to vote. Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis said: “This is student union politics. Simple as that. It’s just the same old Labour.”
Concerns Echoed Around the Party
Another Conservative source agreed: “This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to stack future elections in Labour’s favour.
Doesn’t Address the Issue – Just the Result
Interestingly, the Tories aren’t against it for any logical reason; they worry that it’ll make subsequent elections harder for them to win. The Tories are happy to allow the younger people into the workforce and the military but not to vote.
Reform Leader Richard Tice Against the Idea
Tice said: “They are still children. By legal definition. Obliged to be in education, not allowed to smoke or drink or fight in the military. It is absurd to think they would be allowed to vote.”
Tice Claims Don’t Address the Point
Starmer rightly pointed out that if a working 16—or 17-year-old is paying their taxes, they have a right to vote on how those taxes are used. Their age is largely irrelevant. Denying them a vote seems unfair.
Tory Policy Forcing More Young People to Vote
Interestingly, since the Tories announced their intention to force a version of National Service on young people, the number of young people who now intend to vote has jumped.
Huge Leap in Young Voter Intention
When Sunak announced the election, only 35% of 18-24-year-olds said they intended to vote. Following the National Service policy announcement, that figure has leapt to 52%.
Political Suicide From Sunak
Given the data shows only 7% of young people are likely to vote Tory, yet 68% are likely to vote for Labour, he’s likely turned hundreds of thousands of votes against his party – potentially more, as this policy becomes more widely known.
Voting Intention Still Clear
The most up-to-date polling shows that Labour still has a large poll lead. Despite their best efforts, the Tories are falling even further behind. Even suggesting Starmer would give votes to EU citizens isn’t helping them.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Rupert Rivett.