Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election

Sixteen and 17-year-olds would be able to vote at the next general election, under government plans to lower the voting age.

Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali told the BBC the “seismic” change would ensure young people’s voices were heard.

She confirmed the pledge would be part of a raft of measures introduced through a new Elections Bill.

Other changes include expanding forms of voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards, moving towards automatic voter registration and tightening rules on political donations to protect against foreign interference.

The minimum voting age is already 16 for local council elections in Scotland and Wales and elections to the Senedd and Scottish Parliament.

However for…