Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labor Party, has said that he thinks it is wrong to deny general election voting rights to EU residents who have lived in the UK for a long time and paid taxes there.
While the party has not yet established an official position on the topic, Starmer said in an interview with LBC radio that the party is presently debating several voting-related matters.
Approximately five million EU nationals over the age of 18 would have the right to vote if established immigrants who have been residing and working in the UK for decades were given that right, according to The Guardian.
Additionally, Starmer said that he supported decreasing the general election voting age to 16 years old.
It was made clear by Starmer that there was no set policy to increase voting rights but that it was being considered, along with the possibility of reducing the voting age to 16, per UPI.
He argued that the notion was less improbable since 16 and 17-year-olds could do important things like "having babies," enlisting in the military, and working. However, he declared that the economy and the NHS would take precedence over proportional representation as Labor's primary priorities.
My Labour government will be bold and mission-driven.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 15, 2023
We'll grow our economy, deliver clean power by 2030, cut crime, break down the barriers to opportunity, and ensure our NHS is fit for the future. pic.twitter.com/oS1klrdvyx
Labor Party Accused of Trying to Rig UK Elections
The Conservatives said that Labor is trying to manipulate future elections since immigrants and younger people are more inclined to support the party.
Greg Hands, the head of the Tory Party, said that no other EU nation allows non-national EU people to participate in parliamentary elections, Sky News reported.
Despite expectations that a hung parliament is more likely, Starmer stressed that Labor is on pace for a majority in Westminster after some significant gains in this month's municipal elections.
Starmer said he had disregarded the idea of joining forces with the Scottish National Party and was not interested in doing so. He did not directly rule it out but gave the impression that he was not opposed to an agreement with the Liberal Democrats.
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