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Votes for 16-year-olds have been blocked without a vote in a farcical House of Commons fight.

Furious Labour MPs shouted "shame!" as they claimed Tory tactics had killed off their bid to lower the voting age from 18.

Today's debate was so angry that the Deputy Speaker had to cut in and shout: "This is not a football match!"

Labour, allies and Tory ex-Chancellor George Osborne had all joined a campaign to lower the voting age, to get young people into democracy.

But Tories - who would likely see their vote share shrink - fought it, claiming 16-year-olds don't have "the political knowledge or maturity required."

(Image: Getty)

Labour accused them of using out-of-date Parliamentary rules to ensure the move would be blocked today.

The move would have been made law through a backbench Bill by Labour MP Jim McMahon.

It was the second on the list in a five-hour debating slot today.

But out-of-date Commons rules - which Tories have refused to change - say any Friday law should be shelved if it doesn't get to a vote by 2.30pm.

So by total coincidence, several Tory MPs spoke for ages in favour of the first law of the day, a popular bid to force police to wear body cameras when they restrain people.

Between them, five Tories spoke for 95 minutes - each droning on for longer than the first Bill's author Steve Reed.

(Image: Getty)

That meant there was just an hour and 28 minutes left by the time it got to the Votes at 16 Bill.

Labour had the 100 MPs needed to force a vote through a "closure motion", aiming to stop Tories from filibustering.

But it didn't work.

Because the debate was so short and the subject so important, Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing ruled it wouldn't be right to force a vote so soon.

Furious Mr McMahon accused Tory MPs of deliberately trying to "reduce the amount of time available".

And he sarcastically claimed Sheryll Murray, a Tory who said she did no such thing, was "almost a shoe-in for the amateur dramatic society".

He warned: "16 and 17-year-olds today might be denied the right to vote.

"But in two years' time, they will remember who blocked them from having that democratic right only two years earlier."

In a bad-tempered debate Tories were repeatedly accused of "patronising" young people by claiming they weren't mature enough.

In return, Tory Philip Davies accused Labour of wanting to give votes to 10-year-olds.

Tory Bernard Jenkin said North Korea had a lower voting age, proving it doesn't necessarily work, even though North Korea is a secretive autocracy led by a self-proclaimed god-like figure.

And Tory Robert Jenrick tried to prove his point by saying 16-year-olds couldn't watch film classic The Terminator even though it's a 15, not an 18.

"We're saying in this debate you should be able to choose a representative in the government of the country, but you can't go watch 50 Shades of Grey or the Terminator down your local cinema!" he said.

Tory backbencher James Cleverly called Mr McMahon's speech "the most egregious, partisan tirade I've ever heard".

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Cat Smith, for Labour, hit back that MPs had a "historic opportunity" to extend the franchise.

Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse added: "I feel myself strangely transposed in a costume drama of about 100 years ago.

"Those people who resisted the women's vote [came] out with exactly these arguments of immaturity and disinterest and that women wouldn't know what they were talking about."