Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election

16 and 17-year-olds would gain the authority to vote at the following general election, as government targets to lower the voting age.

Other plans announced by the government include expanding forms of voter ID to include UK-issued bank cards, moving towards automatic voter registration and consolidating rules on political donations to protect against foreign intervention.

Decreasing the voting age to 16 across the UK would be the most substantial change to the electorate since it was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969.

The government has now established it is planning to introduce the change in time for 16 and 17-year-olds to vote at the next general election, which is due to take place by 2029 but may be called earlier.

In the UK, 16 and 17-year-olds make up only around 3 per cent of the population aged 16 and over so researchers say the impact on overall vote share is likely to be negligible, particularly as turnout tends to be lower for younger age groups.

The government has rejected claims it is introducing the change because it will benefit Labour.

"This isn't about trying to rig votes for a particular party. This is about democracy and giving young people an opportunity to have a say," Deputy PM Angela Rayner said.

The Electoral Commission estimates that nearly eight million people are incorrectly registered or missing from the electoral register entirely, with the issue disproportionately affecting private renters and young people.

Some 4 per cent of people who did not take part in last year's general election said this was because of voter ID rules, according to the Electoral Commission.

The government claimed its plans would mean eligible voters could be directly added to the electoral register through better sharing of data between government agencies.

Exactly how this would work has not been authorised, with the government saying its taking procedure of plans to test different methods.

The National Union of Students detailed decreasing the voting age as "a major victory for young people".

It called on the government to make it as effortless as possible for 16 and 17-year-olds to vote by scrapping voter ID laws, embedding automatic voter registration and promoting political literacy in schools and colleges.

Meanwhile, the government said changes to the rules around political donations would help to tackle foreign interference.

Currently political parties can only accept donations from those whom are registered on a UK electoral register or UK-registered companies which carry out business in the country.

Under the plans, political parties would have to assess companies they receive donations from. Companies would have to make sufficient income in the UK or Ireland to donate.

Liberal Democrats exclaimed votes at 16 as "a no-brainer" however said "ministers must go much further to close the door to foreign oligarchs interfering in British politics".