By Chanté O'Shaughnessy and Luke Williams

As UK Parliament Week draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the importance of Parliament and the need for it to represent all voices, especially those of young people. Parliament exists to debate, shape, and pass laws that affect everyone in the UK, from education and healthcare to climate policy. But despite Parliament’s crucial role in shaping the UK’s future, young people often feel alienated by it.

Disconnection from parliamentary politics

This disconnect between public and parliamentary politics is not unique to young people. Many others share this sense of dissatisfaction with a system that is out of touch with their lives. Yet young people, more than any other group, are routinely caricatured as politically disengaged. This isn’t accurate.

There is a long history of alternative youth participation in politics. Ella Eagle Davies, in a myth-busting blog for Make Votes Matter, outlines the ways in which young people excel at integrating politics into their leisure activities, via their social media output and consumption, or through music, culture and lifestyle choices. Social movements and community organising around issues that matter to young people demonstrate youth commitment to doing politics in different ways.

But for young people’s voices to be heard by politicians, we need a stronger presence in the corridors of power.

More than a tick-box exercise

Representation in politics is more than a tick box exercise: it goes beyond visibility to the heart of policy-making. It is about ensuring that decision-making reflects the lived experiences and priorities of all segments of society. For young people, meaningful representation is the precondition for policies that better address their concerns.  

Without it, policies risk becoming blind to generational inequalities. Climate change, or the pressures of unaffordable housing, are issues that disproportionately affect young people. The World Bank's Global Young MP Initiative underscores how a lack of young voices in Parliament hinders progress on key issues for younger generations. True representation requires young MPs who not only look like their peers but who actively champion their interests in policy.

How does the UK rate?

Globally, young people remain underrepresented in parliaments. According to research by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, only 2.8% of MPs are under 30. Among OECD countries, 20-39-year-olds comprise on average 34% of the voting age population, yet in a 2023 report, they found only 23% of MPs were under 40. The European Parliament fares little better, with notoriously as many ‘Martins’ in the previous mandate’s cohort of MEPs as people under 30. 

In the UK, there have been some breakthroughs, but Parliament still falls short of being truly representative. Since 1979, the average age of an MP has hovered consistently around 50, and since 1997, the age bracket with the most MPs has been 50-59. The 2019 election did see the election of several MPs in their twenties and early thirties, but the overall age profile of the parliament remained out of step with the population it served. According to Naked Politics, young people today account for roughly 19% of the electorate, yet only 2.8% of the current crop of MPs. 18-24 year-olds are the most populated age group across society, but only three MPs are below 25. Something has to change.

Breaking down barriers to youth representation

Lowering the voting age to 16, a Labour manifesto commitment, would be a welcome step toward a politics more in touch with young people. When trusted with political agency at an earlier age, young people rise to the challenge.

However, for the full potential of this policy to be realised and not lead to another generation of young people disaffected with large ‘P’ politics, it must be coupled with a comprehensive overhaul of political education in schools. All young people, regardless of background, should have access to the tools to participate in the democratic process.

Even then, the prohibitive cost of standing for election can deter people from less affluent backgrounds, including young people, from running for office. Inadequate financial and institutional support leaves many potential candidates excluded before their campaign can even begin. This needs addressing, perhaps alongside the provision of mentorship programmes for young aspiring candidates.

As we champion the importance of Parliament, we should commit to making Parliament a space where young voices are not just heard but listened to and acted upon. Representation matters, not just in principle, but as a means to create a fairer and more responsive political system. By breaking down barriers and amplifying youth voices, we can ensure that Parliament truly reflects the diverse and vibrant society it serves.

Chanté O'Shaughnessy is an Unlock Democracy Council Member

Luke Williams is Co-Chair of the Unlock Democracy Council