Sir Keir Starmer has said people old enough to work should be allowed to vote.
The Labour leader has confirmed he would seek to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to take part in future elections.
Asked by reporters on the campaign trail in Stafford whether Labour would lower the voting age, Sir Keir said: “Yes, I want to see both 16 and 17-year-olds.
“If you can work, if you can pay tax, if you can serve in your armed forces, then you ought to be able to vote.”
The Labour leader speaking with swing voters at Stafford Rangers Football Club
PA
The party leader said anyone paying tax should “have a say” in how their money is spent as he was questioned about the commitment on Saturday.
It comes after the Times reported a change to the voting age would likely appear in the King’s Speech if Labour wins on July 4.
However, there is no firm indication of how quickly the policy would be implemented.
A source told the paper “I would be extremely surprised if it wasn’t in the King’s Speech.”
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Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer walks with Labour’s candidate for Stafford, Leigh Ingham
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Speaking at Marston Road, home of Stafford Rangers FC, he repeated Labour’s message that it would offer “economic stability” amid a persistently high cost of living.
When asked if there would be tax rises under Labour, Sir Keir said: “[It is] Right to focus on economy, all everyone is talking about. Labour’s number one mission is to grow the economy. Stability is change.”
Asked why it took him three days to appear at the West Midlands, he said: “[The West Midlands] been at the heart of manufacturing and [we] want to see that again.”
Marston Road is the second lower league football ground visited by the Arsenal fan, who kicked off his pitch to voters at Gillingham FC earlier in the week.
Sunak speaking with veterans in Richmond, Yorkshire
PA
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak spent the morning meeting local veterans for breakfast in his North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, where he made light of the rain-soaked Downing Street announcement in which he called the July 4 election.
The Prime Minister said: “I thought, ‘come rain or shine, it’s the right thing to do’.
“But no pneumonia yet, my suit on the other hand… I’m not quite sure what state it will be in when I get back down to London.”
Source Agencies
