Labour unveils plans to lower the voting age to 16 under 'seismic' election reforms
PM says anyone old enough to pay taxes should be able to have their say
Labour has unveiled plans for 16 and 17-year-olds to be allowed to cast their vote - in time for the next general election.
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The government plans to table a new law that would reduce the voting age by two years in a move it says would "boost democratic engagement."
A pledge to lower the voting age to 16 was included in Labour's election manifesto but it did not feature in last summer's King's Speech, which sets out the government's priorities for the months ahead.
Sir Keir Starmer said: "I think it's really important that 16- and 17-year-olds have the vote, because they are old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes, so pay in.
"And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on, which way the Government should go."
The voting age is currently 18 for UK parliamentary elections, local elections, police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales and all elections in Northern Ireland.
In local elections in Scotland and Wales and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd the voting age is 16.
Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “Participation is a vital sign of the health of our democracy. If fewer people vote, our democracy becomes weaker.
"The measures outlined by the government today are vital steps to ensure barriers are removed to voting and more people can exercise their fundamental democratic right.
“Bringing in votes at 16 will end the absurd and unfair situation where teenagers can already vote in Wales and Scotland but not in England and Northern Ireland purely by dint of where they live.
“Voting at 16 will also help more young people to cast that all-important, habit-forming vote at a point when they can be supported with civic education."
Ministers have also proposed introducing automated voter registration, which is already used in Australia and Canada, and making UK-issued bank cards an accepted form of ID at polling stations.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline.
"We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our Plan for Change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give sixteen year olds the right to vote.
"We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future."
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said "far too many people" had been put off voting by the voter ID rules introduced by the previous government, with the Electoral Commission finding around 750,000 people did not vote due to a lack of ID.
The Government has already made the Veteran Card an accepted form of voter ID, and intends to allow digital forms of ID to be used when they become available.
The plans will also see a tightening of the rules on campaign finance aimed at barring "shell companies" from donating to political parties and requiring more checks on donations to unincorporated associations.
The Electoral Commission will be given the power to levy £500,000 fines on those who break the new rules on donations.
Rushanara Ali, the minister for democracy, said: "We are modernising our democracy so that it is fit for the 21st century."
She added: "By reinforcing safeguards against foreign interference, we will strengthen our democratic institutions and protect them for future generations."
The proposal follows concern about the vulnerability of UK politics to donations from overseas, which came to prominence amid reports Elon Musk was considering a major donation to Reform UK.
Unincorporated associations have long been another concern of transparency campaigners, who have warned they can obscure the real source of political donations.
It also comes as the Electoral Commission reported spending at last year's general election hit a record high of £94.5 million, including £69.3 million spent by political parties.
Labour outspent its rivals, shelling out £30 million during the campaign, more than twice the amount it spent in 2019, while the Conservatives spent £23.9 million and the Liberal Democrats £5.6 million.
Reform spent £5.5 million, the Greens £1.7 million and the SNP £799,000
The Government is bringing forward legislation to introduce its new rules, which also include tougher sentences for people who intimidate candidates amid a rise in reports of abuse aimed at those standing for election.
Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of the IPPR think tank, said the changes were "the biggest reform to our electoral system since 1969", when the voting age was lowered to 18.
He said: "Barely half of people voted in last year's general election.
"Our democracy is in crisis, and we risk reaching a tipping point where politics loses its legitimacy.
"The Government has clearly heard these alarm bells."
Arguing that lowering the voting age and introducing automated voter registration could bring 9.5 million more people into the democratic process, he said: "At a time when public trust in politics is at a low ebb, this expansion of our democracy is a vital step toward rebuilding confidence, modernising our institutions and pushing back against the rise of populism."