Good News: UK Govt Lowers Voting Age to 16, Gives Reason

• The British government, led by Keir Starmer, has announced one of the biggest electoral reforms in more than half a century
• The UK government, on Thursday, July 17, said it planned to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all national elections
• The proposed moves was part of an effort to boost public trust and align voting rights across the United Kingdom, where younger voters already participate in devolved elections in Scotland and Wales

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

London - On Thursday, July 17, the United Kingdom announced that its government will lower the voting age from 18 to 16 by the next national election as part of measures to increase democratic participation.

They are old enough - Keir Starmer

The center-left Labour Party pledged before it was elected in July 2024 to lower the voting age for elections to Britain’s Parliament.

As reported by Reuters, the UK government said it would also align voting rights across Britain, where younger voters can already participate in elections to devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, but under 18s are barred from voting in elections to the British parliament.

"They're old enough to go out to work, they're old enough to pay taxes," Prime Minister Keir Starmer told ITV News. "If you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the government should go."

Young people deserve a stake - Rushanara Ali

Also speaking on the move, CNN reported that Rushanara Ali, parliamentary under-secretary for local government in the House of Commons on Thursday, said:

“Young people deserve to have a stake and to have a say in the future of our democracy.”

“When we came into power just over a year ago, the government committed through its manifesto to bring forward measures to strengthen our precious democracy and uphold the integrity of our elections.”

Globally, most countries including Nigeria have a voting age of 18. However, in last year's European Parliament elections, European Union members were given the option to allow people to vote from the age of 16, a move taken by Germany, Belgium, Austria and Malta.

The change in Britain will require parliamentary approval, but it should pass given the policy was part of Starmer's election campaign last year which gave him a large majority.

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UK bans Nigerian health workers from bringing dependants

In another development, Legit.ng reported that healthcare and social workers are no longer permitted to enter the UK with dependents, according to a new development.

The UK home office noted that the development is part of its plan to deliver the biggest-ever cut in migration. It further stated that 120,000 people who arrived in the country last year would no longer be eligible under its new rules

Source: Legit.ng