Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Should 16-year-olds have the vote? Part 2 The Q&A Battle of Ideas Festival
#votesat16
#ukpolitics
#democracydebate
The Labour government plans to allow everyone aged 16 and over to vote in the next UK General Election. Keir Starmer calls the reform “seismic”, arguing that younger voters must have a stronger democratic voice. But is lowering the voting age the right move?
Critics say Labour is acting out of political self-interest, since age is now the strongest predictor of voting behaviour and younger people tend to favour Labour. They also argue that 16-year-olds are still treated as children in many areas: they cannot drink unsupervised, get tattoos, watch explicit films, use sunbeds, or access pornography. Those under 18 must also remain in education or training. If society treats 16-year-olds as minors in most contexts, is it right to treat them as adults at the ballot box?
What does it mean to be a citizen — or an adult — in 2025? What are the philosophical and political principles behind lowering the voting age? What motivates the government’s reforms? And ultimately, should 16-year-olds be trusted with the vote?
Speakers:
Isobel Elkan – 16-year-old A-level student
Kevin Meagher – commentator; associate editor, Labour Uncut; author; former ministerial special adviser
Fraser Myers – deputy editor, spiked; host, the spiked podcast
Tallulah Sutton – sociology and politics researcher, University of Cambridge; author, Labour Heartlands in Brexit Britain
Chair:
Kevin Rooney – religion, philosophy and ethics teacher; editor, irishborderpoll.com; convenor, AoI Education Forum; co-author, The Blood Stained Poppy
WORLDwrite volunteers filmed over 50 sessions at the festival. To edit, sound clean and prepare these videos for the Academy & WORLDwrite channels, takes at least 2 days each. With no paid staff the charity needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on. Please chip in if you can to help us keep going by visiting the charity's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/charity/worldwrite Or hit the Donate button below the video. Thank you for watching and for your support.
Should 16-year-olds have the vote? Part 2 The Q&A Battle of Ideas Festival
#votesat16
#ukpolitics
#democracydebate
The Labour government plans to allow everyone aged 16 and over to vote in the next UK General Election. Keir Starmer calls the reform “seismic”, arguing that younger voters must have a stronger democratic voice. But is lowering the voting age the right move?
Critics say Labour is acting out of political self-interest, since age is now the strongest predictor of voting behaviour and younger people tend to favour Labour. They also argue that 16-year-olds are still treated as children in many areas: they cannot drink unsupervised, get tattoos, watch explicit films, use sunbeds, or access pornography. Those under 18 must also remain in education or training. If society treats 16-year-olds as minors in most contexts, is it right to treat them as adults at the ballot box?
What does it mean to be a citizen — or an adult — in 2025? What are the philosophical and political principles behind lowering the voting age? What motivates the government’s reforms? And ultimately, should 16-year-olds be trusted with the vote?
Speakers:
Isobel Elkan – 16-year-old A-level student
Kevin Meagher – commentator; associate editor, Labour Uncut; author; former ministerial special adviser
Fraser Myers – deputy editor, spiked; host, the spiked podcast
Tallulah Sutton – sociology and politics researcher, University of Cambridge; author, Labour Heartlands in Brexit Britain
Chair:
Kevin Rooney – religion, philosophy and ethics teacher; editor, irishborderpoll.com; convenor, AoI Education Forum; co-author, The Blood Stained Poppy
WORLDwrite volunteers filmed over 50 sessions at the festival. To edit, sound clean and prepare these videos for the Academy & WORLDwrite channels, takes at least 2 days each. With no paid staff the charity needs your help to keep its edit suites switched on. Please chip in if you can to help us keep going by visiting the charity's JustGiving page at justgiving.com/charity/worldwrite Or hit the Donate button below the video. Thank you for watching and for your support.
