The Tories are the “big losers” after the government lowered the voting age to 16, a top pollster has said.
Keir Starmer announced the change last week, marking the first time the voting age has been lowered since 1969, when 18-year-olds were given the vote.
The move will apply across all UK elections, with 16 and 17-year-olds currently only able to vote in devolved elections in England and Wales.
Analysis by More in Common gives Labour (31 per cent) a five-point lead among voters aged 18 to 26, with the Greens (26 per cent) second and Reform a distant third on 14 per cent.
Luke Tryl, executive director of More in Common, said: “Given young voters tend to lean to the left, we should expect the Greens and Labour to be the bigger winners of extending the vote to 16 and 17 year olds, with Reform doing well among young men, and the Tories the big losers.
“But 16-17 year old voters would only make up a small proportion of the electorate, so are unlikely to shift the dial politically at a national level.
“That said in a fragmented political landscape, even small changes can have big effects locally.”
The deputy PM accused the Conservatives of “running scared” from young people, who she said “deserved a stake in the future”.
It comes after new polling by ITV News asked 500 16-17-year-olds for their thoughts on a range of political figures.
Corbyn came out on top, with 12 per cent saying they “strongly approve” of him, versus 9 per cent who said the same about Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage.
After announcing the move, Angela Rayner said: “For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline.
“We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our Plan for Change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give sixteen year olds the right to vote.
“We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future.”
Democracy minister Rushanara Ali said: “We are modernising our democracy, so that it is fit for the 21st century.
“By delivering our manifesto commitment to extend the vote to 16 and 17 year olds, we are taking a generational step forward in restoring public trust and boosting engagement in UK democracy, supporting our Plan for Change.
“By reinforcing safeguards against foreign interference, we will strengthen our democratic institutions and protect them for future generations.”