Britain’s Labour government has unveiled draft legislation to reduce the national voting age from 18 to 16, extending the franchise to an estimated 1.5 million teenagers in time for the next general election, which must be held by 2029. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner described the move, part of a new Elections Bill published on 17 July, as the biggest change to the electorate since the age was lowered to 18 in 1969. The bill also proposes automatic voter registration through data-sharing among government agencies, expands acceptable voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards and other digital formats, and tightens rules on political donations to curb foreign interference. Minister for Democracy Rushanara Ali called the package a “generational step forward” in rebuilding trust in democratic institutions. Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the reform by noting that many 16- and 17-year-olds already work and pay tax: “If you pay in, you should have a say on how your money is spent.” Critics, including Conservative shadow minister Paul Holmes, questioned why teenagers would be able to vote while still barred from activities such as buying alcohol or standing for Parliament. A recent ITV poll found that 48 % of 16- to 17-year-olds oppose lowering the threshold, compared with 27 % in favour. Sixteen-year-olds can already vote in devolved elections in Scotland and Wales, and the Westminster plan would align England and Northern Ireland with those rules, making the United Kingdom one of the few major economies—alongside Austria, Brazil and Ecuador—to permit national voting from age 16.