• Luke has thrown his support behind extending the franchise to 16 year olds
• “Sixteen-year olds should have a voice in the future of their country”

Luke has thrown his full support behind the campaign to extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.

In the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum 16 and 17-year olds were awarded the vote for the first time. The Independence Referendum has shown that young people can make an educated, informed decision on the direction of their country. People who can work full time, pay income tax and national insurance, as well as join the army and enter into a marriage or civil partnership should be allowed to influence the future direction of their country.

Luke has backed Private Member’s Bills on two occasion for extending the franchise to include 16 and 17 year olds and has pledged to continue to support the campaign in the future:

“Young people in Plymouth have very strong views on the way our country should be run. The decisions that we make now on Brexit and the Climate Crisis are going to have a profound impact for generations. It’s only right that 16 year olds can have their say on these issues. The climate strikes in our city and around the world has shown that young people have a voice. That’s why I’m supporting votes at sixteen because – they should have the right to decide who represents them”