United Kingdom General Election: Teens Sound Off on Brexit, Housing, and Lowering the Voting Age
As the United Kingdom gears up for a general election on December 12, the views of young people loom large over this high-stakes snap poll. The vote is widely seen as critical in order to break parliamentary deadlock on Brexit, the question of the U.K. leaving the European Union. Despite E.U. membership being the defining issue of a generation, recent calls to lower the voting age to 16 came to no avail, and so 1.5 million 16- and 17-year-olds remain unable to have their say at the ballot box.
Teen Vogue asked five politically engaged teens in the U.K. about the policies and issues that matter most to them, how they would vote if they could, and how they feel about being disenfranchised by their age. They told us how they hope this election will see parties addressing climate, housing, and Brexit.
Nayana Mena, 16, London
Affiliation: Labour
I understand how important this general election is for the future of society, as the decision will change life as we know it. That’s why it saddens me that the current legislation does not extend the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, which means so many people are restricted from the right to vote for their future and aren’t allowed to have their voices heard.
In recent years, I have really seen and witnessed the devastation of knife crime on individuals and the community as a whole. I believe that this is largely a result of school cuts, the lack of funding within education, and the lack of pastoral support that young people receive. The development of a person, their morals, and their mind-set begins when a person is just a child, so the government should really be trying to do more to solve this rising epidemic.
Aliyah Irabor-York, 17, London
Affiliation: No party. Agrees with many Labour policies, but feels divided.
To vote means more than simply crossing a box and hoping your single sheet slotted into the ballot box will result in an elected party that fulfills their promises. It’s the right to contribute to decisions that will ultimately affect us all for years to come. Ideally, the government should endeavor to implement compulsory politics in curriculums. Educating and engaging pupils on the fundamentals of U.K. politics, the power of voting, and how the electoral system shapes our country should be a priority so we can all be equipped to make an educated choice at the polling station.
[Most] 16-year-olds can work and are entitled to the national minimum wage. They can legally drive a moped, join the armed forces [and] trade unions, get married or register for a civil partnership with consent, and yet voting remains a distant dream.
Despite all the odds, this hasn’t stopped me from creating a social movement [@ThePupilpower] that I feel so passionately for. My fight against an issue of such gravity challenges the plight faced by 16,523 suffering schools in the U.K. Education is the foundation upon which we build our future! For too long, it’s been said that “more money than ever before” has been placed in the education system.
Yet, the crisis worsens as we experience higher prices/numbers of students than ever before. [Our] campaign exists as a part of the solution to win the fair, quality education that we deserve. Together, I wish to transform the narrative in the education system and the mind-sets of the pupils to believe they have the capacity to take action on the issues that matter most to them. Because if we don’t, then who will?
Kaja Robakowska, 17, London
Affiliation: Labour or Liberal Democrats.
Many issues have been raised in the current election, as parties have released their manifestos. Most party policies have widely focused on Brexit as well as an increase in public spending to reduce austerity. Policies that have widely affected young people now focus on knife crime, tuition fees, and climate change, but for me, the most important issue would ultimately have to be Brexit.
Although this has been an ongoing topic, it has not been put to young people to express their opinion enough, even though it is our future that will mostly be affected by the outcome of this general election. None of the parties seem to be making much of a case about how we can impact the outcome of the general election, as they have focused on the idea of constructing a deal, rather than the consequences it will have on future generations.
This issue was first brought to my attention during the increase in hate crime in London after the 2016 referendum. Being an E.U. national living in a city as diverse as London, my expectation of [instances of] hate crime was low, yet this has made me question how safe our country will be after we leave.
Michael Baxter, 17, Burton Upon Trent
Affiliation: No party.
I would like to know how each party would help first-time [home] buyers. In the past two decades, housing prices have increased by 198%. Also, a government initiative where savers can claim up to a 25% bonus from the government on savings up to £12,000 ended in November this year.
I would like to hear how each potential government would help the younger generation get on the housing ladder, and at what cost. Moreover, with the drastic increase in homelessness, which has caused thousands more people to sleep rough than in 2010, surely building affordable housing for the working class must be a top priority for a potential incumbent government. If not, what other initiatives would each would-be government introduce? Only by allowing everyone access to an affordable home can we truly excel as a nation and grow as an economy.
Millie Mae Healy, 18, Slough
Affiliation: Labour leaning, but undecided.
The upcoming general election will be the first I can vote in. Yet politics is a mess. How many women are in Parliament? Not nearly enough to the proportion of women in the U.K. Then, how many are white women?
A Green Deal needs to not just be a potential policy of the elected government, but a necessity, because it is a necessity if we want life to be sustainable in 100 years, 200 years. While the initiative [to ban plastic straws by 2020] does put the onus on the individual to make better choices, it does not put it on the individual that is responsible. Banning plastic fishing nets would have a far greater impact than banning any number of plastic straws.
The NHS, while underfunded, is fantastic. It isn’t perfect, the staff aren’t paid enough, but I feel safer knowing that if someone I care about should end up in an accident...they’d be taken care of.
More work needs to be done to equalize attending university for students of every background, and eliminating the divide between those educated privately and by the state, as it is a divide of happenstance, not ability. Young people need to be more practically educated, then seriously listened to. We are the future.