North Somerset Parliamentary Debate Winners Visit Palace of Westminster

On Monday 14th July, I was one of several North Somerset students to be given the opportunity to visit parliament as the prize for winning the North Somerset Parliamentary Debating competition. The visit offered an insight into the heart of British democracy and gave us the chance to see how the political system operates beyond the classroom.

Our visit consisted of a tour of the Palace of Westminster, lunch and a Q&A with Sadik Al-Hassan MP, an opportunity to watch proceedings in the House of Commons, and a chance to meet Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, in his chambers.  

Watching a live debate from the gallery gave us a chance to observe the democratic process in action, in the real world. Ed Miliband was defending his statement on the climate and the nature crisis, under scrutiny from opposition MPs. In one of his remarks, he made a point of mentioning how important this issue was to young people, looking up at the gallery where we were sitting. His comments made what can sometimes seem a process which is quite removed from our lives, much more relevant.

Our audience with the speaker was also informative: it took place in the Speaker’s House, a very impressive set of rooms inside the Palace. Lindsay Hoyle talked about his role and the need for impartiality and also about the importance of young people coming into politics to keep the flame of democracy burning.

This was a great opportunity to see UK democracy up close, and an experience I would highly recommend to younger students considering taking politics as a subject at A-level.

- Theo