However, he doesn’t want his age to be a focus.
“I want us to get away from this strange mindset towards younger people’s age. As far as I’m concerned we’re just the same as anyone else. I just want to get on with the job.”
He only recently became interested in politics, saying he saw a connection between social and economic decline and “decisions made in Westminster”.
Mr Carling grew up in a rural town in the north-east of England, which he described as “a very deprived area”.
“I saw a lot of things getting worse around me. I was concerned about shops closing on local high streets that used to be a thriving hub and are basically now a wasteland.
“And the sixth form closed, but I didn’t make the connection to politics until later.”
