Labour has been accused of trying to 'hijack' the government's planned EU referendum with a back-door bid to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote.

Harriet Harman, the party's interim leader, announced over the weekend that Labour had dropped its opposition to the in-out poll following its disastrous election defeat earlier this month.

But it has now emerged that the party is preparing to join forces with the SNP in the House of Lords to lower the voting age, sparking concern it is trying to delay the referendum.

The row comes ahead of crunch talks between David Cameron and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker at the Prime Minister's country retreat, Chequers, tonight.

Mr Cameron will then embark on a whirlwind 3,000-mile tour of European capitals later this week, as he tries to secure concessions on immigration, welfare and the future of Europe. He will travel to the continent for talks with the leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Germany.

Scroll down for video

Senior Conservative backbencher John Redwood said Labour was trying to 'hijack' the referendum after Harriet Harman announced over the weekend that the party had dropped its opposition to the in-out poll

CAMERON'S KEY DEMANDS FOR EU REFORM BEFORE REFERENDUM FOR WORKERS FROM THE EU: No in-work benefits until they have been in Britain for four years No social housing for four years No child benefit or tax credits paid for children living outside the UK FOR UNEMPLOYED EU MIGRANTS: No support from the UK taxpayer Deportation if they do not get a job for six months Other measures include: Impose restrictions on EU migrants bringing in family members from outside the EU Longer bans on rough sleepers, beggars and fraudsters returning to the UK Tougher rules on deporting foriegn criminals Refusing to allow other countries to join the EU without imposing controls on the movement of their workers until their economies have reached UK levels Advertisement

Mr Cameron's diplomatic push to secure EU reforms follows the Government's announcement this morning that the same voting restrictions used in general elections will apply in the upcoming referendum.

It means that at least 1.5million European migrants living in the UK are to be barred from voting – as well as under 18s.

But Labour and the SNP have all called for the voting age to be lowered for the EU vote, as it was for last year's Scottish independence referendum.

While Mr Cameron can see off the proposal in the Commons, where the Tories have a majority, he faces being outnumbered by Labour and Lib Dem peers in the Lords.

A Labour source said teenagers have a 'tremendous vested interest in whether or not we stay in the EU or leave' and confirmed the party would back an amendment giving 16-year-olds the vote.

Tory backbenchers reacted with fury at the move today. John Redwood, a leading eurosceptic, said critics were trying to 'hijack' the debate by talking about reducing the voting age to distract from the 'failing' campaign to keep Britain in the European Union.

'I did meetings in schools before the general election – no one who was 16 or 17 at those meetings was saying that they specifically wanted to have a vote in the EU issue because they weren't really interested in the EU issue,' Mr Redwood told the Today programme.

'I think this is another myth put around by the pro-Europeans. We didn't take to the electorate the proposition that 16 and 17-year-olds should vote and I think it's quite wrong to try and hijack this very important referendum about our future as a country.'

But former Tory MP Laura Sandys, who is now part of a pro-European campaign, criticised the exclusion of 16 and 17-year-olds.

She told the programme: 'This is an irreversible decision that is being put in front of the people, this is a decision about the future.

'And the idea that we're not allowing the same franchise that was there with the same sort of proposition, which was about the independence of Scotland, I think will make young people feel less engaged but also feel that this particular decision about their future is being taken away from them.'

The Prime Minister will host European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker at his country residence Chequers this evening

Former Labour MP Tom Harris hit out at the party's bid to force through votes for 16 year olds to delay the EU referendum

Conservative MP Glyn Davies also rounded on the bid to change the voting rules for the EU referendum

Angus Robertson, the SNP's Westminster leader, defended his bid to lower the voting age.

In an article for the Guardian, the SNP MP said: 'Young people are our future. It is their UK - and their Europe - so they must have their say.'

Critics will suggest the move is designed solely to increase the chances of staying in the European Union.

Polls show young people are much more likely to favour EU membership than the population at large.

A recent YouGov survey found that the electorate overall favoured remaining in the EU by a margin of just 10 points – 45 per cent for staying and 35 per cent for leaving.

But among 18-to-24-year-olds the margin was 48 per cent – with 63 per cent in favour of staying, compared to just 15 per cent who would vote to leave.

Further details of the referendum will be published in a Europe Referendum Bill, which will be included in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday.