Sir James Cleverly

Sir James Cleverly

Conservative — Braintree

Speaking in the House of Commons on 2 March 2026

Debate

Representation of the People Bill

Contribution

The hon. Gentleman is factually wrong. We do have a legal definition of childhood, and there is an international definition of childhood. The Children Act defines 16 and 17-year-olds in the UK as children. The UN convention on the rights of the child defines 16 and 17-year-olds as children. So I ask again, do the Government plan to define this as giving votes to children, or are they now saying that 16 and 17-year-olds are not children?

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