On the 27 November, Upper and Lower Sixth Politics students travelled down to Westminster to experience a politically enriching trip seeing how parliament operates on a day-to-day basis.
The day began early leaving Myton at 7am. Once through the airport style security there was a guided tour from the oldest building on the parliamentary estate, the Great Hall built during the 1390s, through to the Commons and Lords chambers before returning again to the Great Hall.
Students had a Q&A session with Matt Western MP, where they were able to explore different aspects of Labour’s policy and ask questions relevant to Matt Western’s position as Warwick & Leamington’s MP. At lunchtime, in the Parliamentary Café, students met two ex-Myton students currently working in Parliament, who gave some excellent tips on how to be successful in A level politics, as well as how to pursue a career in the political environment.
After this encounter, students watched the speaker’s procession and sat in the visitors’ gallery of the House of Commons. There they watched an exciting debate on Home Office policy and witnessed an ‘Urgent Question’ on the current crisis in Gaza. In the chamber they saw well known politicians, including James Cleverly (Home Secretary) and Jeremy Corbyn (Labour Leader 2015-2019).
Finally, there was a quick visit to the House of Lords public gallery where they were given the opportunity to compare the different atmospheres of the two chambers, thus gaining an understanding of how legislation is made and how government is held to account in parliament.
Cleo Faithfull – Year 12
