New Clause 1 — Local Government Constitutional Convention

Part of Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill [Lords] – in the House of Commons at 6:15 pm on 7 December 2015.

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Photo of Graham Stuart Graham Stuart Conservative, Beverley and Holderness 6:15, 7 December 2015

If the right hon. Gentleman were charged with a serious offence, would he really want 16 and 17-year-olds serving on the jury and deciding on his guilt or innocence? I certainly would not. We are talking about a certain level of maturity, and the line we have drawn is an appropriate one. If we would not want a 16-year-old sitting on a jury deciding whether or not we went to jail for 10 years, I suggest that we would not want to let them play a part in the election of the Government of the country.