Starmer's plan to lower voting age could add a million 'leftie teens'

Labour's plan to lower the voting age could add more than a million Left-wing teenagers to the electoral roll.

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that he will press ahead with lowering the voting age to 16 if he wins the election next week.

The move would enfranchise around 1.6million 16- and 17-year-olds.

Sir Keir told the Mail this week that Tory claims he is trying to rig the electorate were 'completely wrong'.

Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that he will press ahead with lowering the voting age to 16 if he wins the election next week.

The move would enfranchise around 1.6million 16- and 17-year-olds (Stock Image)

Sir Keir told the Mail this week that Tory claims he is trying to rig the electorate were 'completely wrong'. Pictured: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Dowden

Anger at Welsh jibe over Tory 20mph protest

The Labour-run Welsh government’s top legal adviser faces a reprimand after claiming Conservatives opposing blanket 20mph speed limits were ‘happy to see children killed and injured on our roads’.

Counsel General Mick Antoniw has admitted his comments, posted online in September 2023, were inappropriate.

The Welsh Senedd’s standards watchdog has said he should be censured by the Welsh parliament. Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain said Mr Antoniw ‘set a very poor example’ and showed ‘a lack of judgement’.

A motion on the censure of the MS for Pontypridd, set to be put to the parliament on Wednesday, is unlikely to be opposed.

But analysis of recent polls suggests the youngsters he plans to give the right to vote will be overwhelmingly Left-wing.

A recent YouGov survey found that 37 per cent of voters aged 18-24 backed Labour, with 21 per cent supporting the Greens and an equal number the Liberal Democrats.

If results were similar for 16 and 17-year-olds, they would suggest that lowering the voting age could add an extra 1.3million Left or centre-Left voters to the electoral roll.

By contrast, the Conservatives enjoy just 7 per cent support among the youngest age group, and could gain as few as 112,000 extra voters from the change.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: 'If Keir Starmer were to win, the UK would join a small group of countries like Cuba and Ecuador in enfranchising teenagers as he manoeuvres to lock in large Labour majorities.

'A supermajority would give Starmer a blank cheque to raise taxes, attack pensioners and lose control on migration. Automatically gifting himself more than a million more Left-leaning voters will lock Labour in power for a generation.'

Meanwhile a children's vote organised by a coalition of youth organisations and charities also suggested that lowering the voting age would benefit the Left.

The vote, organised by a coalition of youth organisations and charities, saw 23,000 young people aged seven to 17 take part across England and Wales.

The Our Generation, Our Vote mock election was held to give young people a voice and hear first-hand views about the policies of the main parties.

Overall results saw 32 per cent voting Labour, 29 per cent choosing the Green Party and 13 per cent going for the Liberal Democrats.

But analysis of recent polls suggests the youngsters he plans to give the right to vote will be overwhelmingly Left-wing

Meanwhile a children's vote organised by a coalition of youth organisations and charities also suggested that lowering the voting age would benefit the Left

Ten million postal votes overloading the system 

Postal votes are expected to top ten million in this General Election, causing problems for those running the ballot.

The number of postal votes rose from 937,000 in 1997 to 8.2 million in 2019, a slight dip on the previous 2017 election, but more than 1.3 million applications were made between May 22 and June 19 this year.

'Election teams are doing their very best to run this snap election, but with a short timetable – plus print and delivery suppliers working at capacity – demand is overloading the system,' the Association of Electoral Administrators said.

'Printing postal votes is a complicated process. Personalised postal vote statements must be matched with the correct ballot paper, personalised envelopes and instruction sheets. Election teams also need to carry out security checks, adding to the time needed to prepare and send ballot papers out.'

It comes as a Scottish council was forced to take urgent action to ensure people who have not received postal ballots can still have their say next week.

Edinburgh City Council has set up an emergency centre where those who have yet to receive their ballot can have one reissued, or can even cast their vote ahead of July 4.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney said he was 'troubled' by delays in some Scots receiving their postal votes.

Postal votes are expected to top ten million in this General Election, causing problems for those running the ballot. (Stock Image)

Ten per cent picked Reform UK, while just 9 per cent favoured the Conservatives.

The 20 organisations behind the project stress that they are politically neutral.

The coalition, including Save the Children, UK Youth and Girlguiding, said more than a fifth (22 per cent) of the children who took part had highlighted education as the policy area that influenced their vote the most.

This was followed by health and climate/ environment (joint on 18 per cent).

Cost of living was an issue for 16 per cent, while 12 per cent cited safety.

Immigration was mentioned least, with only 8 per cent saying this had influenced their mock vote.

Jeremy Corbyn faces losing Islington North seat because voters do not realise he is no longer standing for Labour, poll reveals

By Claire Ellicott

Jeremy Corbyn could lose his bid to become an independent MP because Islington voters do not realise he is no longer standing for Labour, according to reports.

The former Labour leader had the whip withdrawn four years ago after refusing to apologise for claiming that anti-Semitism in the party was overstated and is running as an independent.

The first constituency-specific poll put Labour's support at 43 per cent and Mr Corbyn's at 29 per cent, the Guardian reported.

But when Islington North voters were asked to pick directly between Mr Corbyn and Labour, he was ahead, by 48 per cent to 40 per cent.

The poll suggests that many voters do not realise that their longtime MP is not standing for Labour this time, which could cost him his seat.

The veteran - who has represented the seat since 1983 - is said to be trying to marshal crowds of volunteers to knock on doors to remind them to vote for him rather than Labour.

However, many would have already voted by post. Although there were a reported 1,000 people knocking on doors on his behalf last weekend.

Labour sources told the paper that many voters still thought Mr Corbyn, who has represented the seat for 40 years, was standing for the party.

Labour has put up local councillor Praful Nargund as its candidate in the seat which had a 26,000 Labour majority in 2019.

A source in Mr Corbyn's campaign told the paper: 'The poll was interesting because it basically tells us what we already knew - that we need to tell people it's either Jeremy or the Labour candidate.'

They added: 'Not everyone knows that he's standing as an independent, which is a point we need to get across.

'There is also a worry among some voters that if they vote for Jeremy they could let the Tories in. But the poll lets us show there is clearly no chance of that happening.'

It came as a 72 members of the Islington North Labour Party signed a letter in support of Mr Corbyn.

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