Does the government give young people enough influence over decisions that directly affect them?
The government published its first National Youth Strategy in over 20 years in December 2025, aiming to empower young people in decisions affecting them through votes at 16, new Youth Councils, and a Youth Policy Network. However, the UK Youth Parliament, which has given elected 11-18 year olds a national platform since 2000, is set to lose its government funding after March 2027 and may close. Polls show many young people feel their voices are not heard in politics.
1 Opinion
Setting up a 'Youth Policy Network' after announcing plans to defund their parliament is classic for our govt... create a bureaucratic quango so we can ignore them more efficiently. Absolute joke