The United Kingdom has decided to permit 16-year-olds to vote in general elections. Incidentally, they can already vote in elections to the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales.

That’s one of the interesting quirks about Britain. And there’s no doubt this will happen. It’s a Labour manifesto promise and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has the numbers to push it through.

Now, what it does is create a rather interesting situation for British 16-year-olds. In addition to voting in national elections, they can also marry with parental consent, enter into a civil partnership, consent to lawful sexual intercourse, leave home without their parent or guardians’ permission, join a trade union, pay taxes and work as a waiter or waitress. They also have to pay full train fares.

But there are also things they can’t do. For instance, they can’t buy a lottery ticket, drive a car on their own, purchase alcohol from an off licence or drink a pint of beer in a pub. Paradoxically, they can’t stand........

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