A TEENAGE councillor in Cornwall believes 16 and 17-year-olds shouldn’t be allowed to vote.

The Government announced last month that it is lowering the voting age at the next general election.

However, Reform UK’s Angus Black – who was voted in as Cornwall Council’s youngest ever councillor in May – believes it’s a wrong move despite barely being over the lowered voting age himself.

The 18-year-old, who was working behind the bar in a pub before being elected to represent the Calstock ward, believes younger teen voters are too easily persuadable.

Cllr Black, who lives in Gunnislake, said: “There is a bridge between 16 and 18. For a lot of people, you come out of high school at 16 and you either spend those two years in an apprenticeship or sixth form. So those two years are a taste of adult life – it’s a bridge between your childhood and adult life.

“I think people need those two years to reach that level of maturity that would qualify them for the vote. It should be left where it is. Everybody of all ages of childhood should be encouraged in politics, but at such a young age (16 and 17) you are easily persuadable.”

A recent YouGov voting intention poll puts Labour in the lead amongst 18 to 24-year-olds at 28%, followed by the Greens on 26% and the Liberal Democrats on 20%. In contrast, the Conservatives were on 9% and Reform UK on 8%.

A ballot of more than 22,000 under-18s, carried out prior to the 2024 general election, had Labour first, Greens in second place with the Conservatives in fifth, below Reform UK in fourth and the Libs Dems in third.

Reform UK opposes lowering the voting age and did better amongst older voters at last year’s general election. However, it is reaching increasing numbers of young people on social media with leader Nigel Farage having more than one million followers on TikTok. The party appears to be particularly popular with young men rather than young women.

On the left, the new nameless party led by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who received huge support among young people during his past election campaigns, could potentially pick up votes from 16 and 17-year-olds.