Baby of the House Sam Carling delivers first speech in Parliament aged 22

Baby of the House Sam Carling delivers first speech in Parliament aged 22PA

Transcript

00:00As I am the youngest Member of this Parliament, it will not surprise many hon. Members to

00:06hear that I have not been out of the education system for that long. Indeed, I was in the

00:12first cohort of students whose A-level exams were cancelled during the pandemic, and in

00:16many ways it was that experience that politicised me. I grew up in a deprived rural area and

00:22was concerned from a young age to see a progressive decline in local high streets, alongside growing

00:27problems in public services, notably within schools. When I was in my final year at a

00:33rural school, budget cuts forced the closure of its sixth form, leaving me and many others

00:38having to find alternative provision at short notice, which was not easy for many, who faced

00:42very long journeys indeed to the nearest alternatives.