The Government has announced 16 year olds will be given the right to vote in all #UK elections.

In plans published on Thursday, Labour said it was setting out “seismic reforms to boost democratic engagement and restore trust in our democracy“.

The changes would bring #England in line with Scotland and Wales, where 16 and 17 year olds already have the right to vote, and will be in place by the time of the next General Election.

Part of the plans – which will pass through Parliament as the Elections Bill – would see bank cards added to the list of accepted voter ID, along with the manifesto pledge to lower the voting age to 16.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated his aims to lower the voting age for the first time since it fell from 21 to 18 in 1969 while speaking at the Liaison Committee in April.

“I think that if you’re old enough to go out to work, if you’re old enough to pay your taxes, then you are entitled to have a say on how your taxes are spent.

“And also we do have voting at a younger age in different parts of the United Kingdom and the sky didn’t fall in,” he told MPs.

But a poll by Merlin Strategy for ITV News found that almost half of 16 and 17 year olds disagree with the Prime Minister.

A huge 49% said the voting age should not be lowered, while just 18% said they would definitely vote if they were able to.

Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali accepted young people may be less engaged in politics but told ITV News it is “really important” to give them “the option to participate in democracy”.

She said the Government would be stepping up education efforts before the policy comes into force, with schools to teach lessons on democracy and how the UK’s political system works.

“It’s really, really important that they are engaged with how our system works so they can influence change, but that’s with making sure the education system plays its part.”

She added: “I know there’s a lot enthusiasm, both in the education sector but also in the wider community and among young people to take part.

“So I’m really looking forward to introducing that change and making sure that young people have the ability to participate.”

The poll also showed 16 and 17 year olds favour left-wing parties, but Nigel Farage’s Reform UK was the second most supported amongst that age group.

Some 33% said they would vote Labour, followed by 20% who’d back Reform, while 18% would vote Green, 12% Liberal Democrats and only 10% said they’d vote Conservative

When asked who would make the best prime minister from the leaders of the main parties, 39% said Starmer, while 26% said Farage.

Presented with a list of politicians and other influential public figures, the most popular politician was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, with 12% strongly approving.

The figures will be concerning for Starmer, who had 9%, given talk of a new party led by Corbyn which would likely take votes from Labour.

The young people surveyed said their most important issues were, the economy (30%), healthcare (28%), crime/ law and order (25%), Israel/Palestine (25%) and immigration (23%) but issues like climate change, housing and education were much further down the list.

Only half of the young people (46%) said they had a positive view of democracy, with over a fifth (22%) saying they view a military strongman with no government or elections positively.

Despite Reform UK polling in second behind Labour, the party is against lowering the voting age to 16.

Asked if he supported 16 and 17 year olds getting the vote, Nigel Farage told ITV News: “No I don’t, even though we get lots of votes.

“I don’t think you should be able to vote in an election unless you’re also eligible to be a candidate, and I don’t think 16 year olds should stand for Parliament.

“So no, I’m not in favour of it, but I’m really encouraged by the number of young people that are coming towards us,” he said.

Commenting on the findings of the poll, Scarlett Maguire, Director of Merlin Strategy said: “We would expect Labour to be out ahead with younger generations… I think maybe Labour would like to have a bigger lead amongst these people, but they still have quite a convincing lead over the challenging party Reform UK, I think what’s potentially more interesting is quite how badly the Conservatives are performing.”

“There’s been a lot of hype about whether Reform are doing exceptionally well, especially with boys of that age group.

“On the surface of things they’re putting in a strong performance but not an exceptionally strong one,” Maguire told ITV News.