Keir Starmer did not mince his words: "Yes, I want to see 16- and 17-year-olds voting. They can go out and work, they can serve in our armed forces - and of course if they are out and working, they pay tax. And therefore they should have a say in how the money they are paying in is being used."¹

In this respect Starmer is very much in tune with The Day's readers. When we asked which ideas you would like politicians to pursue, lowering the voting age from 18 got the most votes. 

Next came Universal Basic Income (UBI). This means that the state gives everyone enough money to live a life of relative comfort without them having to work in return.

Third was legal euthanasiaThe deliberate and painless ending of a life. , otherwise known as assisted dying. Fourth was degrowth: a gradual reduction of energy and resource use as a way of combating climate change.

Two ideas tied for fifth place. One was a 15-hour working week, meaning that everyone would work just three hours a day. The other was a maximum voting age, so that older people can make way for those who own the future.

The question is how many of these are likely to become reality. For that to happen, they need the support of politicians and - as things stand - older voters.

An opinion poll published on Monday² shows that the electorate as a whole has very different priorities - and also reveals a big divide between generations.

Among the 17 most popular issues, lowering the voting age came right at the bottom, with just 32% supporting it and 59% opposing it. Significantly, 79% of those against it were over 65. But even among 18-to-24-year-olds support was divided, with 47% for and 41% against.

Two more of The Day readers' top six issues have a chance of becoming law. Keir Starmer is known to support legal euthanasia, and the LibDems have said that they would welcome a debate and vote in parliament.

And in 2022, the Welsh government launched a three-year pilot scheme for Universal Basic Income, offering 500 people leaving care £1,600 a month. The Scottish Greens have said they would introduce trial schemes in communities across Scotland.

And last month Geoffrey Hinton, known as "the godfather of AI", said he had advised the British government to establish UBI before a large number of jobs are lost to artificial intelligence.³

Should politicians listen to young people?

Yes: They are less stuck in a rut than adults and can often have more bright ideas. They will also be more affected in the long run by the decisions being made today than older people will.

No: They are more than likely to change their minds as they get older and they may not be the most objective judges of what is good for us. A lot of them do not bother to vote when they reach 18.

Or... Politicians should listen to everybody, regardless of their age. It is their duty to govern the country on behalf of the whole population, even though a third of it is not registered to vote.