Will votes for teens benefit Reform UK and the Greens?
Young people are turning their backs on Labour and the Conservatives, and this trend is likely to continue if 16-year-olds get the vote
Over the last few years, support for Reform UK and the Green Party has been steadily increasing across the UK. Especially among young people.
The 2026 council elections emphasised this shift in support, with Labour and the Conservatives losing votes to Reform UK and the Greens
Yet, this trend could continue with the Representation of the People Bill.
If passed, 1.7 million teenagers could be eligible to vote in the 2029 General Election.
Initially fringe parties, Reform and the Greens have seen a rise thanks to a charismatic leader selling an optimistic future.
Nigel Farage routinely delivers a message of prosperity by putting British people first.
In the eyes of Reform, immigrants and weak national leadership are the issue. Their supporters, predominantly white working class men, believe Farage will "fix broken Britain," and the growing cost-of-living crisis.
Zack Polanski equally criticises Labour and Tory leadership. However, Polanski's message promotes socially liberal policies that address young people's concerns: renting, climate change and civil rights.
What is The Representation of the People Bill?
Currently being reviewed in the House of Commons, The Representation of the People Bill is proposing electoral reform and change.
Most notably, the Bill wants to lower Britain's legal voting age, expanding the electorate to include 16 and 17-year-olds.
To ensure teenagers feel equipped to vote, citizenship classes would become compulsory in primary school.
All students would also be taught the essentials of democracy, government and law.
So far, support has been mixed within Parliament. Labour and Green support giving teenagers the right to vote, while Reform and the Conservatives oppose it.
Hansard records show that at the centre of the debate is whether 16 to 17-year-olds are children.
In response, Labour MP Kirsteen Sullivan referred to Scotland's extension of voting rights to 16-year-olds. The Bathgate and Linlithgow MP questioned whether Sir Cleverly recognised teenage voters' contribution to British democracy.
Labour MP Sam Rushworth questioned whether the concern was about the Conservative Party's popularity. Rushworth reclaimed Bishop Auckland as a historic Labour stronghold in 2024 after it was briefly won by the Conservatives in 2019.
What do voters think: should teens vote?
Jula
Kings' College London Intersectional Feminist Society
University student and Society President, Jula supports teens getting the vote. But politicians need to do more to appeal to youth voters.
Matthew and Cameron
Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march
The idea of legacy and Britain's future was key for Matthew and Cameron. Teenagers needed to continue upholding the values of their family and country rather than party loyalty.
Who could benefit?
Politics Professor James Sloam thinks the Green Party will be the main winners if teenagers get the vote. Reform could benefit, but only among working class men.
On both sides of the political spectrum, there's a clear feeling among young voters that they have been left behind.
The years of austerity, rising tuition fees, the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis under a Labour and Conservative government have taken a toll on Britain's youth.
In response, young people are starting to abandon Britain’s biggest parties for more extreme ones.
"Young people are looking for a change," said Green Party’s former candidate, 22-year-old Kai Nixon.
Professor Sloam predicts the Greens will do better than Reform at gaining the young vote because of their policies.
“It's very likely that 16 to 17-year-olds will also turn towards these socially progressive parties and I think particularly the Greens because what they’re looking for is a message on equality, poverty, cost of living.”
Yet, historically, 18-24-year-olds have a low voter turnout. For 2024’s General Election, 40% voted. Only 20% of these young voters were working class.
“There's this tendency for politics is to think about people who are more likely to vote," said Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, Hina Bokhari OBE.
Policies, she explained, focus on the issues of voters. These voters are usually older middle-class professionals.
“I am concerned that we are not really focusing enough of our politics and policies on young people. We're not engaging with them enough," Ms Bokhari added.
Like the Green Party, Reform UK could benefit from most parties failing to appeal to working class voters.
On emphasising British industry, Reform successfully appeal to the work-class men who didn't go to university, and have limited job opportunities.
While the Bill plans to improve political education, it is social media that has a bigger impact in shaping the political views of young people, driving them to more polarising politics.
Whether through memes or policy explainers, social media has been utilised by political parties and their supporters to expand their supporter base. Online, they can build a rapport with potential voters and control the narrative on their pages.
Party approaches to social media
Green Party
Zack Polanski collaborated with Cody Dahler to promote beating Reform in the May elections. With over 2 million followers, Dahler is a comedian known for his political skits.
Reform UK
Reform UK uses a mix of memes to criticise the opposition and professional high-quality videos to promote their policies.
Labour
Despite growing unpopularity, Labour's social media channels praise Sir Kier Starmer's leadership and policies with an approach to directly appeal to young people.
Conservatives
The Tories' TikTok depicts Kemi Badenoch as a strong leader, taking control during debates and firmly criticising Labour's governance.
However, as much as a political asset social media can be, going viral online and reaching a wide audience base relies on capturing the audience's attention. To get attention, you need to stand out.
“The problem is that we’re living in a social media-driven environment right now, where it doesn’t actually matter whether you can get things done or fixed or anything,” said Ms Bokhari OBE.
“It’s just, say something really extreme, and it gets attention. So, kind of this clickbait approach to politics.”
Led by online far-right figure Tommy Robinson, the recent Unite the Kingdom rally drew thousands from across England to the streets of London.
While it was predominantly white middle-aged men, families and groups of teenage boys could be seen waving Union Jacks and chanting along with the crowd.
Speaking to those at the rally, it was undeniable that social media had a significant impact in spreading and reinforcing far-right politics. Especially among working class men.
Social media has given Britain's youth a voice. They can connect with like-minded communities, engage in political debates, and have access to a plethora of information.
But, if teenagers are to vote, it's ensuring that they not only receive a political education, but a digital one.
58%
16 to 29-year-olds use social media to stay informed about current affairs
Source: John Smith Centre
82%
12 to 17-year-olds viewed posts about harming minorities in 2025
Source: Youth Endowment Fund
It's clear that if the Representation of the People Bill does pass through Parliament, Labour and the Conservatives have a lot of work to do to win over newly enfranchised youth voters.
What's uncertain is the long-term impact, Assembly Member Hina Bokhari pointed out.
It's not new for polarising or extreme political parties to become popular during times of hardship. Nor is political disillusionment.
But what will happen if Britain's youth eventually get Nigel Farage or Zack Polanski into Number 10?
What happens if they don't deliver on their promises and fix Britain for its future generation?
Most likely, a shift back to Labour and the Conservatives. Or maybe, the Liberal Democrats.
"If young people are going to vote in the extreme way, and then they don't get the things that they want... if they don’t get all the benefits that the extreme ends are saying that they’re gong to do to - then what happens?"
Liberal Democrat Hina Bokhari OBE, campaigning during the 2026 council elections. Image: Hina Bokhari OBE
Liberal Democrat Hina Bokhari OBE, campaigning during the 2026 council elections. Image: Hina Bokhari OBE
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