Harlow Labour leader backs plans to reduce voting age to sixteen
Politics / Sun 20th Jul 2025 at 11:12am
THE leader of Harlow Labour has backed plans for the voting age to come down to age 16.
Councillor James Griggs said: “I am delighted to hear that the Government are to push ahead with changes to allow 16 & 17 year olds to vote.
I have long been an advocate of this change, it is a matter of natural justice and democracy that if you are old enough to be paying tax you should have the opportunity to influence the way in which that tax is spent.
16 year olds in Wales can vote in Senedd elections and in Scotland for the Scottish Parliament. These progressive moves should be replicated across the United Kingdom for both Local and General Elections.
We frequently hear that young people are not engaging in politics, allowing them a say in issues by having a vote is one way of giving engagement a kickstart.
There are those that say you are still a child at 16 and shouldn’t have such responsibility. Having spent a lot of time speaking with young people across our town I am confident that they are both ready and mature enough to make their mark and influence the future of our towns and cities as well as the country as a whole.
“The young people of our country are its future, the sooner they have a stake in that future the better”.
David Forman
2025-07-20 12:32:02
James Griggs is incorrect to say: "We frequently hear that young people are not engaging in politics, allowing them a say in issues by having a vote is one way of giving engagement a kickstart." The evidence to contradict James Griggs is provided by the House of Commons Library in a report on Political Disengagement published in November 2022. Its conclusion is: "The Community Life Survey also showed that in 2020/21 the youngest age group (16-24) was the most likely to participate in a political activity at least once in the last 12 months (48%, ±4). This confirms other research showing that young people may not vote but do participate in politics in other ways." This demonstrates yet again that the Labour luvvies don't do their homework. See pages 17 &18 of report at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7501/CBP-7501.pdf
David Forman
2025-07-20 12:42:53
We can see political opportunism at play here by Labour, but a word of caution from the BBC: "On the left, a new party led by Jeremy Corbyn, who energised young people during his election campaigns as Labour leader, could potentially pick up votes from newly enfranchised teenagers, along with the Greens and the Liberal Democrats." See BBC report at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq5362v5762o
tim
2025-07-20 15:02:35
no wonder he's keen for it to come down, teenagers are more likely to vote labour and they need all the votes they can get with reform hot on their heels
RLB
2025-07-20 17:24:35
So you will be able to have a say in who runs the country. But are not treated as a adult when you commit a crime as you are still not sure what right or wrong is.
Seamus
2025-07-20 18:26:00
Three, even four years ago I would have said this would have benefited Labour, as the opposition, but now? I think it's just as likely to backfire on Labour. Younger voter's tend to be more Idealogical protesters in their thinking and over the next 4 years, Labour will be the party that has been in power for nearly 5 years. Anyone looking at multiple polls now realises Labour are likely to be a one term party. One of the reasons is likely, due to the two party system having failed, many more smaller and fragmented parties reflective things which are important to 16 year olds. The other factor as well on Brexit and the 2024 general elections was that the biggest age group of those who could vote but decided to not go and vote, was in the 18-24 category. This is born out by the 2016 Scottish national elections where 16-18 year olds could then vote but 45% chose not too. It looks like a desperate tinkering with democracy by Labour and one that I suspect, will not do them well.
Peter Lamb
2025-07-20 20:02:29
Labour are importing voters now they want to reduce the voting age to 16 so that those indoctrinated at school will also vote for them, it's a desperate attempt to cling on to power and wreck the economy even more
Deborah
2025-07-21 07:04:09
It's gonna back fire on you labour 😄
Guy Flegman
2025-07-21 13:43:26
They have tried this every time they get in power. It’s nothing new. They only have one playbook that is sadly too predictable. Even the Blair government got dragged back to this playbook in the end. Sadly most people were not here or do not remember the 70’s and how awful it was.
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