We call on the government to hold a national referendum before extending voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds in general elections.

We think this is a profound change to the democratic franchise, such a significant constitutional reform should not be without the direct consent of the British people. We think the right to vote is one of the most consequential aspects of citizenship and expanding it to a new age group should not be decided solely by politicians, but by the electorate itself in a fair and open referendum. The UK has held referendums on major democratic reforms, such as devolution (1997), the Alternative Vote (2011), and Scottish independence (2014). We think changing the voting age is no less significant and deserves the same public scrutiny.