Comedian Russell Kane helped launch a campaign to encourage under 25s to vote yesterday.

East London Advertiser: Left to right: Layan Ibranhim, Emmananuella Ku, Tsion Balcha, Russell Kane, Robert Akindele and Leo Axexander.Left to right: Layan Ibranhim, Emmananuella Ku, Tsion Balcha, Russell Kane, Robert Akindele and Leo Axexander. (Image: Archant)

He joined Centrepoint Parliament, a group of young homeless people, at Rich Mix to publicise the charity’s You Got a Problem? campaign.

Kane suggested that if more young people voted then it would encourage the government to tax richer people who can afford it, rather than cutting benefits.

“If young people register their vote they will tax people like me who can afford the 50p tax rate and stop cutting benefits from the bottom, but it won’t change if young people’s voices are not heard,” he said.

Young people were encouraged to sign the electoral register and discuss problems and issues that matter to them.

Leo Alexander, 21, said he believed that the under 25 age group was “underrepresented”.

“I wanted to get involved in the campaign because I feel like a lot of young people are disengaged by politics because it is quite a dry subject in schools,” he said.

Centrepoint Parliament spokesperson Tsion Balcha, 20, added: “Our message is that young people need to do this in order to get heard.

For more information about the campaign, visit www.centrepoint.org.uk