I am delighted that Scotland has voted to remain in the United Kingdom to stay with us as we fight for the NHS and against poverty and inequality - we are much stronger united than divided. I am also pleased that there was such a high turnout in the wake of so many disappointing ones- which shows that people will turn out to vote if they think it matters, and if they have been part of the political debate. The campaign has clearly shown, however, that people do want more of a say about how they are governed and more devolved decision-making, and I think this is true of city regions such as Bristol too. Devolution cannot be just be about the four nations of the UK – England in itself is a diverse country [with too much inequality], which is why Labour has been arguing we need to devolve more power and financial responsibilities from Whitehall. Now is the time for careful reflection on how to achieve this. I also think this vote is proof that the voices of so many 16 and 17 year olds should be heard, and that this ought to become the norm in all our elections. I have long supported votes at 16 and it would be entirely wrong if 16 year olds who had a vote on September 18th were not allowed to vote in next years General Election, and 16 and 17 year olds across the rest of the UK too.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 16:04:59 +0000