An EU-funded survey found an extraordinary 18-point lead for Remaining in the European union (53%-35%), way out of line with the polling average which shows the country remains more or less equally divided down the middle. What could have caused such an unusual result?

Upon deeper inspection, number boffin Matt Singh found that the Kantar poll had included respondents as young as fifteen years old, as well as others who are not entitled to vote such as non-UK citizens. On top of that it was not weighted to the 2016 vote, nor did it include any turnout modelling. They might as well have asked a “People’s Vote” coffee morning…

After Iran’s ill-fated flirtation with votes at 15 from 2009 to 2011, not one single country in the world has had a franchise that extends that low. Why is the EU suddenly seem desperate to follow Iran’s dubious example…