Labour’s plan to lower the voting age to 16 is opposed by more than half of voters, according to new polling by Lord Ashcroft.
Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to grant 16 and 17-year-olds the vote, saying people old enough to work and pay tax should be allowed to ‘have a say’.
But the policy is ‘strongly’ or ‘somewhat’ opposed by 52 per cent of voters with just 38 per cent supporting it, according to the research shared exclusively with the Mail.
More than half (57 per cent) of 18 to 24-year-olds back the proposal to lower the voting age, compared to only one in five over-65s.
While the polling is damning on one of Labour’s flagship policies, overall it gives Sir Keir a comfortable 24-point lead – up one on last week.
Polling shows Labour’s plan to lower the voting age is opposed by more than half of voters
Keir Starmer walks past journalists before boarding a World War II landing craft during a visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard today
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty meet D-Day veteran Keith Whiting, 98, following the UK’s national commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day on Southsea Common
With just four weeks until polling day, it puts Labour on a 47 per cent vote share, with the Tories on 23 per cent – among those more likely than not to vote for a particular party.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is on 11 per cent, while the Greens and the Liberal Democrats are both on 6 per cent.
Sir Keir is also named as the person who would make the best prime minister by 38 per cent compared to 19 per cent for Rishi Sunak, though 43 per cent say they do not know.
The Labour leader is also deemed to be more trusted with defence and national security than the Prime Minister, and the public believe Labour is more likely to deliver tax cuts.
Voters said they thought Sir Keir would do a better job as prime minister compared to Mr Sunak on a number of measures including being a strong leader, competent and getting things done.
They also said the Labour leader would be better at representing the country internationally, being honest with the public, and having the right judgment in a crisis.
Nigel Farage drinks a pint of beer before speaking to supporters as he launches his election candidacy at Clacton Pier on June 4
Keir Starmer with Portsmouth South candidate Stephen Morgan on board a second world war landing craft in Portsmouth Harbour today
Rishi Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, right, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, second row center, watch the flypast as they attend a commemorative event for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth
Asked which taxes people would like to see cut, council tax came top followed by fuel duty and income tax rates.
Raising the threshold at which higher income tax rates apply is also popular, the research suggested, along with cutting inheritance tax and National Insurance.
The Tories plan to introduce a ‘triple-lock plus’ so pensioners never have to pay income tax on their state pension is backed by more than half of voters – 58 per cent. Those aged 65 and over are eight times as likely as 18 to 24-year-olds to say they strongly approve of the idea.
But the Conservatives’ plan to introduce a new form of National Service is opposed by 50 per cent, with 41 per cent saying they support it, while 9 per cent ‘don’t know’ what they think about it.
The research was carried out by Lord Ashcroft from May 30 to June 3, with a sample size of 5,203. Writing in today’s Mail, Lord Ashcroft says his surveys ‘differ from those of most pollsters in that I ask people how likely they think they are to vote for each party on a 100-point scale’.
He says that ‘Labour have consolidated their position since Sunak unexpectedly fired the starting gun’.
He said that with a month to go, there is ‘no sign of the game changer the Tories need’, adding: ‘But in this snapshot, we also find large numbers who say they don’t know what to do or will not vote at all. And in this group, seven out of ten say that, although they’re dissatisfied, they would rather have a Conservative government than a Labour one.’
Lord Ashcroft’s polling was carried out before Tuesday night’s TV debate, which saw the two leaders clash on the economy, immigration and the NHS.
Rishi Sunak has been offered a glimmer of hope in his bid to overturn the odds at the general election as Tories celebrated his performance in last night’s TV debate against Keir Starmer
Mr Sunak said it was a choice between him and Sir Keir for No10, saying his opponent would ‘raise your taxes and raid your pensions’
Both leaders repeatedly spoke over each as host Julie Etchingham struggled to rein them in
Snap verdicts following the debate marginally brightened the PM’s hopes, with YouGov polling showing 51 per cent of people thought he performed best overall during the show, compared to 49 per cent voting for Sir Keir.
Voter intention polls carried out in recent days also put Labour ahead, but by varying margins.
A poll by Savanta, carried out from Friday May 31 to Sunday June 2 among 2,209 UK adults online, put Labour 14 percentage points ahead of the Tories.
An average of all polls that were carried out wholly or partly during the seven days to June 5 puts Labour on 45 per cent, 22 points ahead of the Tories on 23 per cent, followed by Reform on 12 per cent, the Lib Dems on 9 per cent and the Greens on 5 per cent.
