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| Peers vote to allow 16- and 1- year-olds to take part in EU referendum | Peers vote to allow 16- and 1- year-olds to take part in EU referendum |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Peers have backed calls to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to take part in the UK's EU referendum. | Peers have backed calls to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to take part in the UK's EU referendum. |
| The House of Lords voted to amend the European Referendum Bill - which paves the way for a poll by the end of 2017 - to extend the franchise, by 293 to 211. | The House of Lords voted to amend the European Referendum Bill - which paves the way for a poll by the end of 2017 - to extend the franchise, by 293 to 211. |
| If the move is not overturned by the Commons, it could affect the timing of the referendum vote. | If the move is not overturned by the Commons, it could affect the timing of the referendum vote. |
| Some experts have suggested the process of registering the new voters could delay the poll by up to a year. | Some experts have suggested the process of registering the new voters could delay the poll by up to a year. |
| David Cameron, who is thought to favour a referendum date in 2016, has said the voting age should be determined by Parliament. | |
| The defeat for the government came as Labour, Lib Dems and crossbench peers joined with a small number of Tories to back votes at 16. | The defeat for the government came as Labour, Lib Dems and crossbench peers joined with a small number of Tories to back votes at 16. |
| Lib Dem leader Tim Farron urged the government not to ignore the result or try to reverse it when the issue returned to the Commons. | |
| "The Liberal Democrats have been fighting for this for decades, and we are winning the argument," he said. | |
| "This is a victory for democracy. We are giving over a million people a voice on their future. | |
| "The government must now listen and act. David Cameron cannot turn his back on 1.5 million young adults." | |
| Supporters of the move have said it would be unfair and illogical to bar 16- and 17-year-olds from taking part in a future EU vote, when they had been allowed to cast a vote in last year's Scottish independence referendum. | |
| But critics argue the two polls are different and the move is designed to boost the campaign to keep the UK within the European Union. |