Yesterday, I was delighted to welcome to Parliament a group of Year 6 pupils from Lydney Church of England Community School.
A group of 25 students were on a school visit to London, and they were able to take advantage of the Parliamentary Education Service's fantastic school programme. The students watched a debate on Work and Pensions in the House of Commons Chamber, before holding mock elections to elect MPs from within their group - including one lucky student who became Prime Minister!
I dropped in for a Question and Answer session with the group, where I briefly explained my role as an MP and a typical day in the House of Commons before opening up the floor to questions. All the questions were very engaging and well thought through, and ranged from topics as big and as national as Brexit all the way through to very local matters, such as planning issues in Whitecroft.
Everyone seemed to enjoy their time in Parliament, and I would like to extend my thanks to the invaluable staff at the Education Service for running such an excellent programme. It is important that Parliament is open to everyone, and I would encourage as many schools as possible to come for a visit. If you would be interested, please email me at mark.harper.mp@parliament.uk.