ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY ADMITS HE DOES NOT KNOW THE LEGAL AGE FOR MARRIAGE

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Steve Reed has admitted, during a discussion about extending the right to vote, that he does not know the legal age for marriage in the UK.

Asked what the age is, during the Camilla Tominey Show on GB News, he said: “To be legally married in the UK, you’ll have to, I don’t know, tell me how old. 16? 18?”

When told it was not 16, he said: “Well, having votes at 16 was something that we put in our manifesto. We won a majority in the House of Commons. Now we’re getting ahead and we’re implementing our manifesto.

“16 and 17-year-olds can already vote in certain elections in Scotland and Wales, I think it’s reasonable to give young people a say in national elections here in the UK as well.”

On public concern that people linked to the Taliban have been let into the UK following the Afghan data leak, Reed said: “The super-injunction has been lifted and we can see more of what was going on, but you’re right, there are still further questions to answer, including those very important questions that you just posed,

“In the House of Commons, select committees, including the Defence Select Committee, who carry out their work openly and in the public gaze, will be conducting their own review to see what went on, what exactly the risks were, and what lessons need to be learned so that can’t happen again.”

Asked about reports that some of the Afghan migrants have also brought in multiple relatives, and up to 150 in one case, he said: “Well, as I understand it, there have been biometric tests conducted of people who came in through this route, and those claims have not been substantiated.

“So as we understand it, those problems are not real problems. But of course, there needs to be a comprehensive review of what has happened, every single aspect of it that is best done by the select committees in the House of Commons.

“They’re cross-party. They operate under the public gaze, so we can all see exactly what has been happening, and then we can allay the kinds of very real concerns that you’ve just that you’ve just put to me.”

He added: “I’m very concerned about this, extremely concerned about this, which is why I want those select committees to carry out this work and find out exactly what has gone on.

“All I was saying is that the information I have been given is that there were sufficient checks on the people coming in to mean that those fears you’re raising are not the case. But of course, I’m concerned about it.

“Of course I want there to be a light shone on this so if things have gone wrong, we know exactly what those problems are.

“If people have come into the country who shouldn’t be here, then they would be removed. Over the last year, the government’s removed over 30,000 people who were here and had no right to be here. So that is what would happen, I presume.”