Cabinet ministers are split over whether to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union, Labour has claimed.
Shadow Europe minister Pat McFadden said there were "rumours" that Government ministers disagree over how to respond to peers' backing for votes at 16 in the in/out vote.
The House of Lords voted in favour of amending the EU Referendum Bill to allow younger voters to take part but Europe minister David Lidington insisted the Government will seek to overturn it when the legislation returns to the Commons.
Mr McFadden insisted there was a Cabinet split over the issue and urged Mr Lidington to agree to the Lords amendment.
During foreign affairs questions in the Commons, the Labour frontbencher said: "There are rumours of disagreements within the Government and within the Cabinet of how to respond.
"The Prime Minister has left the door open so far to change in the questions that he's been asked previously about this.
"We know that 16 and 17 year-olds are capable of understanding the issues, we know that they are interested and want to take part.
"So why won't you agree to the amendment and give 16 and 17 year-olds a proper say in the future of our country?"
Mr Lidington replied: "There are honourable members in various parts of the House who champion the cause of reducing the voting age to 16.
"But I would say to you that the right time to debate that issue is during legislation where such a change would apply to the franchise for all elections and referendums and not as a one-off, tacked on to a Bill for a particular referendum."
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