Meet York's first-time voters – and find out what they really think

MILLIE HOWARD has never been so pleased her birthday will be on December 12 – election day.

"If they had decided to have the election on December 11th I would have been so mad; I would have been raging! I feel very lucky [to be able to vote], I have been involved in politics since the age of 13 as a member of the York Youth Council, so the idea of turning 18 and being able to vote is exciting."

Millie is an A-Level student at York College and I have joined her and seven other young first-time voters – all studying politics – to find out who they will support in the general election.

Of the eight, six are sure who they will vote for while two are yet to make up their mind and are "floating voters".

None of them said Brexit was a priority, instead citing the environment, the NHS and education, ending austerity and strengthening the North's economic position as more important issues for the country and politicians to tackle.

Only one student was a definite for the Liberal Democrats – who want to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit. Nathan Brimm, 18, said he was voting Lib Dem because he wanted to put Brexit to bed once and for all. "The whole of Britain's politics has turned into a catastrophe, slowly imploding on itself."

Eighteen-year-old Juliet Lennox admitted to being torn between Labour and the Lib Dems. "Labour because I want to end austerity and the NHS is at breaking point. But at the same time I am not a big supporter of Corbyn. And I am torn between the two over Brexit. I need to do some more research and see their manifestos."

Sam Cammidge, 18, was undecided between Labour and the Greens. "I'm not there at the moment; it will depend on who is more committed to the issues that are most important to me, like the environment, health care and services for young people. There is disparity too in funding for the north – that's important in this election."

Sarah Howarth, 19, was definitely voting Labour. "I've been affected by austerity and I don't think the Conservatives will end it. Labour are the party for the people."

Labour also won support from 18-year-olds Ralph Burton and Alex Woodcock. Ralph said he particularly liked Labour's green policies for the environment while Alex liked Corbyn and co because they would tackle other issues other than Brexit.

Josh Needham, 19, was the sole Tory in the group. A member of the Conservative Party, Josh said he didn't vote for Boris Johnson in the leadership election and if there was a second referendum on Brexit, he would chose to remain (as would all the other seven).

Local candidates were more important than national figures, said Josh, adding that Julian Sturdy who was seeking re-election in York Outer for the Tories had been a great MP. "Julian Sturdy has done well for York Outer. You vote for a party, but you are actually voting for a local MP to represent you in parliament. Julian Sturdy did a brilliant job getting funding for many things including dualling of the outer ring road." Josh also mentioned Mr Sturdy's support for plans to open a railway station at Haxby.

Interestingly, none of the students were won over by offers specifically aimed at them, such as free tuition fees.

"If they make uni free it could make courses worse," worried Sarah.

Josh simply didn't believe politicians would carry through such a promise. "They would win my vote if they could make it cheaper but saying it would be free, well, I don't believe it - and that's because of Mr Clegg."

They all agreed that Brexit was an unfortunate pre-occupation and wanted politicians to focus on other issues.

"Seven out of ten people have Brexit fatigue," said Nathan.

"The only people thinking about it in any depth are the politicians themselves," said Millie.

And they weren't too impressed with the behaviour of politicians in Parliament of late.

Nathan called for a written constitution while Millie talked of being "frustrated" and "amazed" at the prorogation of Parliament. "MPs are there to solve the issues of the people," she said.

These students were well versed in the workings of parliament, parties and elections thanks to studying for an A Level in politics.

Their tutor, Luke Zwalf, said he thought more young people should learn about politics at school and that the voting age should be lowered from 18 to 16. "If you look around this college there are about 90 students who have a good idea [about politics] and several thousand who maybe don't have the knowledge or understanding and there is a definite issue there of getting people engaged and interested."

Luke was quick to allay fears that teaching politics to school-aged children risked ideological indoctrination.

"We are impartial in lessons and I would never push for my views to be open to students," he said.

So what did our teenagers think the outcome of the election would be?

Six thought the Conservatives would be returned with a small majority and two plumped for a hung parliament.

Whatever the result, they all expected that it would have implications for the future of the Union.

Brexit not only raises issues with Northern Ireland, but with Scotland too, they said.

If the Tories win and usher in Brexit, pressure will mount in Scotland for a second referendum on independence.

Should a hung parliament give Labour the opportunity to govern, chances are it would be with the support of the SNP – in return for another indy ref.

They all agreed it was a fascinating time to be studying politics and coming of voting age.

Meanwhile, York College is planning a student hustings where the issues of the day will be discussed further.

And it has been encouraging students to register vote via a poster that has been running on a loop on the LCD plasma screen around the college.

Anyone aged over 16 can register to vote, but you must be aged 18 to vote in the General Election on December 12.

You can register up until Tuesday online at gov.uk/register-to-vote