PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
A petition for a national referendum on the reduction of the voting age to 16
People younger than 18 years of age are consider by law to be children. This petition calls for a referendum of the current UK electorate on whether the voting age should be reduced from 18 to 16 years of age.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
19
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 19/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 19/100,000
Background
In the UK a person below the age of 18 is not allowed to make decisions on consuming alcohol or cigarettes and are banned from proscribed establishments such as sexually explicit entertainment venues. People under 18 years of age are not considered adult in many sectors of the law, including employment and criminality.
The law implies that a person younger than 18 has not reached maturity and requires state protection and guidance. This is incompatible with the proposed age reduction.