Labour ‘plan to allow EU citizens and 16-year-olds to vote’

Sir Keir Starmer is thought to be considering plans to allow millions of EU citizens to vote in general elections under a Labour government.

Labour is mulling whether to expand the vote to 16 and 17-year olds and around 3.4 million EU nationals who have “settled status” in the UK after Brexit.

The Tories quickly lashed out at the prospect of change – accusing Sir Keir of trying to “rig” elections by handing votes to those more likely to vote Labour.

Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said his party was “always looking at ways to strengthen our democracy” after the Sunday Telegraph reported Labour want to give EU citizens with settled status the vote.

The newspaper said Labour is also pondering the franchise to include 1.4 million 16 and 17-year-olds, boosting the UK electorate by more than 8 per cent in all.

Mr Reynolds insisted that it was not yet Labour policy as the party continues to draw up its manifesto. But did not deny reports – saying “there are arguments for expanding the franchise” and that Labour wanted to “celebrate” migrants making a contribution in the UK.

Mr Reynolds told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “It’s not our manifesto, it’s not a statement of party policy, but it’s how we go about doing that.”

The frontbencher said: “But of course we’re always looking at ways to strengthen our democracy, to involve as many people [as] possible in that, and there’ll be an element of that ... in the Labour manifesto, that’s for sure.”

Probed further on the issue of EU citizens getting the vote, he said: “I think there are arguments for expanding the franchise… It’s something we will look at. But some of the reports – I’ve got to stress – they’re not the final plans for the Labour manifesto.”

Asked if would be aimed at giving Labour more votes, Mr Reynolds said it shouldn’t be “looked at through a party political lens” – insisting “it wouldn’t be any consideration of any partisan advantage.”

Going further on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Reynolds said: “We believe people who make a contribution to this country, if they live here there is an argument for having them involved in that [voting] process … If people are making a contribution to the UK, let’s celebrate that.”

EU citizens with settled status can already vote in local council and Scottish and Welsh parliamentary elections – with campaigners pushing for the “levelling up” of voting rights.

Sir Keir backed “full voting rights for EU nationals” during the Labour leadership campaign in 2020. Expanding the franchise to 16 and 17-year-olds was in Labour’s last manifesto.

The voting rights policy could affect around 3.4 million EU nationals who live permanently in the UK and pay tax here, while another 2.6 million given “pre-settled” status could also be eligible to vote in general elections in future, according to the Telegraph.

A Labour spokesman said: “Keir fundamentally believes that if you work hard and contribute to this country, not only should you be able to get on, but it is fair and right that you should also have a say in decisions being made for your community.”

But a Tory spokesperson claimed the move was aimed at trying to engineer and “rig” the result of another referendum on EU membership in a bid to reverse Brexit.

“Allowing foreigners to vote is Sir Keir Starmer’s admission that he doesn’t trust the British people,” they said. “He is laying the groundwork for a referendum to re-join the EU, something he campaigned so passionately for. And now he wants to rig the outcome.”

Tory energy secretary Grant Shapps also accused Starmer of wanting to “reopen” Brexit.

“This is a settlement we had made with EU countries to have reciprocal arrangements so that British citizens abroad are able to vote in for example the local elections say in Spain and the same here,” the cabinet minister told Sky News.

Mr Shapps added: “What he plans to do is actually reopen the Brexit settlement. So, what else will he reopen? The Windsor Framework, the cooperation agreement with Europe?”

The row comes as Sir Keir said he does not care if people think he is conservative – promised that the next government will be New Labour “on steroids”.

In a speech on Saturday, he told the think tank Progressive Britain that his party must go further than Tony Blair did when he re-wrote the so-called “Clause Four” and rejected public ownership.

Meanwhile, the former Lib Dem leader Vince Cable has said he doubts his party would agree to a full coalition government with Labour in the event of a hung parliament at the next general election.

Sir Vince told Observer the “bad experience” of a coalition with the Tories between 2010 and 2015 had soured the idea.

“I have always taken the view that even a coalition with Labour is highly improbable,” the ex-leader said. “If there were an understanding post-election, [I don’t believe] it would be structured in that way.”