Ed Miliband has pledged to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote after last week's independence referendum.

The Labour leader said the issue would be a key pledge if he wins the keys to Downing Street next year.

Last week's referendum saw huge number of teenagers register and vote.

Mr Miliband said it was time to hear the voice of 16 and 17-year-olds in other votes as well, such as general elections. The move, he said, would be part of a larger push to reform politics.

He said: "People think Westminster politics is out of touch, irrelevant and often disconnected from their lives.

"As somebody who stands at Prime Minister's Questions, I often know what they mean. We might as well say it: it is what people think about politics … It is time to hear the voice of young people in our politics so we will give the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds in general elections."

Advocates say young people bear many responsibilities in society and should be given a say in how it is run.

Others, however, question the effect the move would have on political engagement. Younger people, they say, are much less likely to vote than older generations, and the change could cause turnout rates at elections to fall.