Mhairi Black calls for 16 and 17 year olds to be given EU referendum vote

THE UK’s youngest MP has called for 16 and 17-year-olds to be given the vote in the referendum on EU membership.

The SNP’s Mhairi Black said the “remarkable” contribution of young people in Scotland’s independence referendum demonstrated they should be allowed to play a full role in the debate.

The 21-year-old spoke out in the wake of a House of Lords vote to amend the EU Referendum Bill to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to participate in the in/out poll.

The move would see some 1.5 million extra teenagers eligible for the referendum due in 2017.

The Government said it would seek to overturn the amendment.

The MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South said: “It is important those who will have to live longest with the decision on whether or not to stay in the European Union have their say.”Politics Podcast: SNP on Syria, Paris reaction and Labour’s position on Trident – click here to listen