For immediate release: Monday 15 February 2010

The Children's Rights Alliance for England strongly welcomes the news that the Co-operative now backs votes at 16. Representatives from The Co-operative Group were interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning (15 February).

Carolyne Willow, CRAE's national co-ordinator, says:

This is a straightforward human rights issue: here are 1.5 million people that Parliament has deemed to be capable of paying taxes and National Insurance, consenting to medical treatment, running their own youth councils and businesses, becoming associate school governors, yet they have no influence over what goes on in Westminster.

The Co-operative Group now joins the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, Plaid Cymru, the Scottish National Party, Social Democratic and Labour Party, Sinn Fein and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland in supporting votes at 16.

Carolyne Willow continues:

At 16, young people have completed 11 years' of compulsory education and they can get married, enter a civil partnership and even sign up for the armed forces. What's more, young people up and down the country are demanding the right to vote and to stand as Parliamentary candidates. Continuing this democratic exclusion is demeaning to young people and unsustainable politically.

The 2008 Labour Party Conference accepted a recommendation of the party's National Policy Forum for votes at 16 to be included in the next Labour general election manifesto; and Gordon Brown confirmed his support when giving evidence to the Commons liaison committee earlier this month.

There are 13 countries in the world where 16 or 17 year-olds are entitled to vote in general or local elections. Austria was the first European country to lower the voting age to 16 (2007). Two British dependencies, Jersey (2007) and the Isle of Man (2008), have also extended the franchise to 16 year-olds.

Local councils that have pledged official support include: Leeds, Hastings, Islington, Cambridge, Eastbourne and Kent.

Notes for editors

1. CRAE published the first pamphlet on lowering the voting age 10 years ago. In 2003, we co-founded the Votes at 16 Coalition which now includes 40+ leading youth organisations, democracy organisations, campaigning groups and charities.
2. The UK's voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969. Once UK voting law was reformed, the USA, France and Italy introduced similar changes.
3. There is considerable support for votes at 16 within the Welsh Assembly. In February 2008, a free vote was held and passed by 44 votes to 4. However, this is not a devolved matter so the Assembly cannot act on its free vote.
4. The Health Boards (Membership and Elections) (Scotland) Act 2009 received Royal Assent in April 2009. It entitles individuals aged 16 and over to vote in elections for new Scottish Health Boards.