Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of extending voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds in England.

The Government was elected on a manifesto commitment to retain the current franchise at 18 and therefore has no plans to extend voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds in England.

The Government continues to believe that the voting age should remain aligned with the age of majority, at 18. This is the point at which many other key rights and obligations as a citizen are acquired and is in line with international comparators.