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Why Votes at 16 is the next suffrage bridge we must cross

Nicky Morgan MP, Member of Parliament for Loughborough and former Education Secretary wrote this piece for our pamphlet Civic Duty The Conservative Case for votes at 16 and 17. On July 2nd, we marked the 90th anniversary...

Posted 21 Aug 2018

An updated Conservative case for Votes at 16

Owen Meredith, Chairman of the Tory Reform Group wrote this piece for our pamphlet Civic Duty The Conservative Case for votes at 16 and 17. In 2015, the TRG put together the Conservative case for Votes...

Posted 20 Aug 2018

National Democracy Week: The Conservative case for extending the franchise is stronger than ever

The following piece is a guest post by Owen Meredith, National Chairman of the Tory Reform Group. This inaugural National Democracy Week, we should take a moment to remember the sacrifices made by millions to protect...

Posted 03 Jul 2018

No more filibustering – why the government should get behind a fairer franchise

Scotland has it, Wales is getting it, and more and more politicians are calling for it in England. Yet on Friday, a handful of MPs prevented legislation on votes at 16 going to the next...

Posted 15 May 2018

With cross-party support, we can secure a fair franchise for young people

Today MPs will debate a bill which could step our democracy up a gear. Dr Peter Kyle’s Representation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill would extend the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds. But whereas many bills...

Posted 11 May 2018

George Osborne is far from the only Tory backing Votes at 16

Votes at 16 not a Tory policy? Think again. George Osborne has become the latest in a succession of Conservatives to throw his weight behind extending the franchise. He tweeted this week: More Tory MPs...

Posted 16 Feb 2018

Welsh Assembly must not miss this golden opportunity for reform

Politics in Wales has reached a critical juncture – and this week Assembly Members (AMs) have a big decision to make. One road would see exciting changes to the way politicians are elected, placing power...

Posted 06 Feb 2018

Wales is leading the way on democratic reform. The Prime Minister should take note

The Welsh Government have just launched proposals that could revitalise democracy. But they could also send shock-waves to Westminster. In 2014, 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland won the right to vote in the...

Posted 30 Jan 2018

Survey results add weight to argument for Votes at 16

When reformers argue in favour of extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, they often do so by stating what other things those within that bracket are already doing (paying taxes, driving etc.) For many people these arguments will ring true – but for...

Posted 22 Jan 2018

Hearing from ‘Missing Voices’ – confusion, frustration and hope in Welsh politics

Jess Blair reflects on the results of Wales’ largest ever in-depth survey on how people feel about politics in Wales. ‘What does politics mean to you?” It’s a tough question, and even more difficult to...

Posted 11 Dec 2017