On February 26 the Lords debated legislation which will give the Scottish Parliament the right to reduce the voting age for Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections to 16.
At Westminster elections, 18 will remain the voting age. Strong criticisms were expressed by several peers who contributed to the debate. On what principle can 16 year-olds be given the right to vote in elections within Scotland, but denied it for Westminster elections?
In a brief contribution Alistair Lexden made clear his opposition to the inconsistency that will now be introduced. Parliament, he said, should prescribe a common voting age for all parts of the country.