Watch The First News Debate!

Last month, students from schools across the UK travelled to Parliament for an afternoon. They were given the chance to put three politicians on the spot. Tim Loughton is a Conservative and Duncan Hames is a Liberal Democrat. The two parties are currently working together as a coalition Government. Seema Malhotra is a member of the opposition Labour Party, which challenges the Government on its ideas.

The following ten questions were put to the panel by some of the pupils in attendance. Click on a question to watch a video of the panel’s response.

The First News: Introduction by Speaker John Bercow

1. “What is the most important thing the UK is spending its money on and why?” – Severn Primary School

2. “How are you ensuring that you are communicating and sharing the Budget plans with students?” – Reepham High School

3. “Do you think it is right to be basing GCSE achievement purely on exam results, rather than coursework?” – Thornbury Primary School

4. “How are you ensuring that students, that perhaps do not have financial support from home, still feel confident and safe in pursuing careers in engineering, medicine etc., knowing how much it is costing to go to university?” – Kingsbury School & Sports College

5. “Cycling enthusiasts find it intimidating to ride on busy roads and it’s illegal to ride on the pavements. As an eco-friendly mode of transport, what are you doing to support cycling?” – The Mosslands School

6. “Is there another way to dispose of waste other than landfill or burning it, like they’re going to do five miles from our home?” – Tackley Church of England Primary School

7. “How do you explain the low number of women MPs?” – Heathcote Primary School

8. a) “Where does the Government stand on lowering the voting age to 16?” – Kingsbury School & Sports College

b) “Is it time that everyone aged 18 and over should vote in the election of MPs?” – Carshalton School for Girls

9. “With the creation of the new national curriculum, which subject would you put in ‘Room 101’ and why?” – Reepham High School

10. “As students we’ve been taught to be honest and as our teachers tell us, answer questions directly. Why can’t politicians accept when they are wrong and own up to what they have done in a straightforward and truthful way?”– Lancing College Preparatory School

AUDIENCE VIEWS

“I loved travelling to London for the debate. The Houses of Parliament were so interesting and so were the politicians. My highlight of the day was definitely meeting John Bercow.” Lilly Norton, Tackley Church of England Primary School

“We each had to come up with a question for the panel. Mine was picked for one of the ten. I was very excited about this, although I was nervous when it came to asking it!” Jack Cheesman, Lancing College Prep School

“What excites me about politics is that I now realise I can make a difference. The highlight of the day was seeing the politicians’ reactions to your question.” Phoebe May, Tackley Church of England Primary School

Resource

Watch The First News Debate!