UK to lower voting age to 16 in general elections

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks at a civil society summit meeting in London on July 17, 2025.[AFP]

The British government said Thursday it plans to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in general elections, a landmark change giving the UK one of the lowest voting ages worldwide.

It follows a pledge from the ruling Labour Party to make the shift ahead of winning power last year, and is among several planned changes to the democratic system, which some argue is "in crisis" due to low turnout among other issues.