Broadcaster Emma Webb has claimed that you need “life experience” to be an MP after the Labour Party had its youngest-ever member elected last week.
Twenty-two-year-old Sam Carling was elected as the Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire making him Britain’s youngest MP.
Carling contested veteran Conservative Shailesh Vara, who was elected into North West Cambridgeshire in 2005 and held on to his seat right until this year.
In a Tory wipeout during the General Election, Carling secured his seat along with many other Labour MPs.
Sam Carling is the youngest MP to be elected
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Speaking about Britain’s youngest MP, Webb said: “I think there’s a good argument for having, even if it’s just by convention, an age limit.
“If I were running for Parliament, I certainly wouldn’t run under the age of 35. It’s just simply because, and you may call me old fashioned, but I think that people should apprentice themselves to life in some way before they can really properly represent a constituency. I do think that experience and wisdom are some things that you can only gain with age.
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“If you look at this MP who’s only 22, I went to the same university. I would have been in no state, regardless of being a councillor, to become a representative of so many people at such a young age.
“So I think there is a good argument for it being conventional for MPs to be slightly older. Just simply because I think you need the opportunity not only to apprentice yourself to life but also to have the humility to apprentice yourself to the political and constitutional system in some way.”
Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe argued: “I think that if he managed to convince his election committee and in turn, he then managed to convince the electorate, then that is simply democracy at work.
“I have a lot of sympathy with saying that you should have some life experience before you become a member of Parliament, and I think already that convention is pretty well there. If you look at the two big parties, on the whole, unless there is a shock result they return MPs in their 30s and 40s and way beyond, but an arbitrary age limit where you’ve just excluded the other.”
Emma Webb argued that they need more life experience
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Emma fired back: “If you think about the kind of maturity of young people straight out of university, I do think it’s a problem.”
She added: “If you have too many MPs who are younger. I think actually, it’s also that we have an issue in Parliament with not trying to not be too harsh with mediocrity.
“I think adding younger, inexperienced people into a house that is already somewhat mediocre. The quality of debate is already extremely poor. There are fewer people for them to apprentice themselves.”
Ann responded: “Let me say this you need all sorts of abilities in Parliament.
Ann argued that you need a range of politicians in parliament
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“You need people who can analyse legislation, who can analyse arguments, you can weigh up evidence.
“He, I reckon, will be pretty good at doing that. You need people who can speak, but you’ve got some MPs who can’t speak for toffee.
“You’ve got a whole range of experience there and you’ve got a range of characters you’ve got those that are very flamboyant, like Nigel Farage, and the extremely shy and retiring.
“You’ve got the range there now don’t start getting too prescriptive with MPs.”
