What age are you representing?

Last week I ended up interviewing Meryl Roberts, the young person who I’d seen speak the week before at the Hansard Society debate. We like doing case studies at work on young people with interesting/inspiring stories and I thought someone who at 22 wanted to be an MP was pretty interesting. You can watch my interview here.

What I found fascinating was that otherwise very pro-youth participation colleagues and friends had quite interesting reactions to Meryl’s interview. One described it as “a little sad”. And I sort of understand where they are coming from.

When the Electoral Commission last looked into Votes at 16 and decided it wasn’t viable, they instead recommended that the age of becoming an MP/councillor be lowered to 18. Their rationale was that there was no logical reason why it should remain at 21. The law was amended accordingly, although given that the youngest MP was 26, it wasn’t as if there was an urgent demand for this change at national level.

Meryl isn’t alone in being someone under the age of 25 who wants to get elected. Emily Benn (granddaughter of Tony and niece of Hilary) must rank as Britain’s youngest PPC (prospective parliamentary candidate), winning nomination to stand for Labour in East Worthing and Shoreham whilst she was still 17 (on the basis that the election would be after her 18^th birthday). Admittedly, her constituency is a fairly safe Tory seat, so it’s unlikely she’ll be taking her place in the House of Commons quite yet, but it’s still a pretty impressive achievement.

Not far behind, whilst still at university Claire Hazelgrove got the nod for Labour’s PPC in Skipton and Ripon (Interview with her). However, again it’s a fairly safe Tory seat.  And then there is Georgia Gould, the 22-year-old daughter of Lord Gould, who lost her opportunity to be selected for the safe Labour seat in Erith and Thamesmead after accusations of dirty tricks.

That they are all Labour is probably not a coincidence (I’m sure there are some fairly young Lib Dem PPCs, not so sure about the Tories but I’ll try and find out and compile a list at some point. And of course there are no doubt young PPCs from other parties). That two of them are related to existing politicians is perhaps not surprising. That they are all female is rather encouraging.

But, whilst I think there is a real need for diversity in politics, I worry the focus on getting young people through the doors of Westminster misses the point somewhat.

The “professionalisation” of politics has changed the way people become MPs. Traditionally (and I realise this is very generalised), someone would work in another career for several years, get involved in local politics, and eventually get chosen to represent the seat they lived in. Nowadays, it appears that the most recent bunch of MPs and PPCs all appear to have only ever wanted to be MPs. They did politics at university, worked as researchers for MPs or other jobs directly connected to their chosen party, before being dropped into a suitable seat wherever they can get in. They know nothing other than the world of party politics, and forefeit their youth to get to being an MP (as Sarah Teather told the BBC on getting elected).

One young person I know, who has plenty of plaudits and suggestions that he could make high office, is totally happy in the company of older adults but struggles to chat to anyone his age or younger. I shudder and think of 16-year-old William Hague addressing the Tory Party conference in 1977.

And this is the real rub, and where I worry that we’re missing the point about getting young people into elected office. My concern is that politics changes them, not the other way around: that they adapt to be accommodated, not that the system adapts to accommodate them. I jest slightly, but looking at Claire Hazelgrove’s pictures you’d think she only owns a suit and her only friends are other politicians. Where are the PPCs in jeans and trainers? Or, better still, where are the politicians who can skate?

Youngest representatives:

• UK Parliament: Jo Swinson, elected aged 26
• Scottish Parliament: Duncan Hamilton, elected aged 25 (although stood down aged 29)
• Welsh Assembly: Jonathan Morgan, elected aged 25. (Youngest I can find)
• Northern Ireland Assembly: Alaistair Ross, elected aged 26
• Local councillor: William Lloyd, elected aged 18 (from 2007, so that may have been superseded)

Image shows Gordon Brown and members of Hackney Youth Parliament, courtesy of Downing Street. Used under licence.

Tags:claire hazelgrove, east worthing and shoreham, electoral commission, emily benn, georgia gould, hansard society, lord gould, meryl roberts, ppc, sarah teather, skipton and ripon