Vincent McAviney: UK Correspondent on the country lowering the voting age to 16

The UK's Labour Party believes allowing the younger generation to vote could have positive ripple effects. 

It's lowering the country's voting age to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to have their say.  

The change will take effect at the next general election and brings the electorate into line with Scotland and Wales. 

UK Correspondent Vincent McAviney told Andrew Dickens youth want to feel catered for, and Labour's keeping their word.  

He says there's some thinking in the party that young people tend to be more left-leaning and could support Labour. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And after the UK we go. Vincent Mecavinni, good morning
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
So there's FGEN data bridge. What's the latest on this?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah, this has been rumbling on for a few days now.
It's been revealed after a superinjunction a very rare legal
procedure was lifted that a data breach detailing some Afghan
citizens who had aided British troops and other forces during
the many years that they were there doing things like

(00:29):
translation and working with them. Well, their personal details and
details of their family were leaked out, putting them at risk,
and so there has been this secret scheme which has
resettled many of them here in the UK. But this
afternoon it's been discovered that the names of around one
hundred British nationals, including spies working for intelligence agencies like
MI six and members of the Special Forces the SAS

(00:51):
and SBS, their details were also on this spreadsheet, compromising them.
Because it's unclear whether or not this leak stayed in
Afghanistan or if other powers such as China or Russia
were able to get their hands on it, and that
would have identified some people whose identities should have really
remained protected.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
Meanwhile, you've actually done it. Sixteen year olds will vote
at the nixt general election in twenty twenty nine.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Yeah, that's right, the first general election where we'll see
sixteen and seventeen year olds getting to vote. It was
something that Labor had promised in their manifesto, but it
wasn't clear when they were actually going to introduce this.
There's a bit of thinking in the party that younger
people tend to be more left leaning and so that
they could support them. But more generally, a lot of
people welcoming this proposal because it does seem like a

(01:40):
lot of people, particularly older voters, are the ones only
being catered to buy the parties when it comes to elections.
Things here in the UK, with what we call the
triple lock, which is a freeze on sort of changing
pension rules mean that they're pretty well protected in terms
of how they provide out the sort of recent times
in the ECONO, but services for young people being cut,

(02:03):
more student fees it being increased, all that kind of stuff.
People are thinking this might try to rebalance somewhat the
generational divide that we're seeing here in the UK.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
Yeah, going to come up. There's going to be some
left leading parties are going to come up with some
pretty wacky policies. I mean, you know, free Minecraft and
upgrades for every kid because they think they might actually
get them some votes. So good luck. Do you have
a great weekend, Vincent mcavinia.

Speaker 2 (02:24):
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