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MP’s question time with sixth form students

Monday 8 December 2014

WEB l-r Amelia Crump, Fabian Hamilton and Sam MyersonFabian Hamilton, MP for Leeds North East, gave an insight into his life in politics when he addressed upper sixth students at The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL).

The visit was part of the upper sixth PSHCE programme, which includes learning about the political system, and gave students an excellent opportunity to hear first-hand about the life of an MP before posing their own questions.

Fabian has been the MP for Leeds North East since 1997, the first Labour MP for the constituency. By talking the students day by day through his week – generally three days at Westminster and four in the constituency – he demonstrated how wide-ranging his role is.

A member of the International Development Committee as well as an opposition backbencher, Fabian will deal with a wide range of issues in Westminster, as well as meeting with constituents in Leeds to help with their concerns.

He said: “The breadth of involvement of an MP surprises people. Your role is to be part of the constituency you represent, most MPs have done something else before Parliament, and most live in the communities they represent. I feel privileged to represent this part of Leeds, with its diverse mixture of faiths and backgrounds.”

Fabian fielded questions from students on Nigel Farage and UKIP, private education, Ed Miliband’s leadership of the Labour party, the potential for a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and devolution to the regions.

Asked how he got into politics, Fabian talked about being elected to Leeds City Council, and reminded students of the importance of voting, not just at general elections but three years out of four when they had an opportunity to elect their local councillors.

Student Sam Myerson said: “It was educational to hear about the life of an MP and learn about how aspects of our political system work. I think visits like this are important to encourage young people to vote.”

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