Andrew Mitchell MP has once again organised for the participants of this year’s Sutton Coldfield Inter-Schools Debating Competition to visit the Houses of Parliament.
At the invitation of Sutton’s MP, 14 students from six of Sutton’s secondary schools and Birmingham Metropolitan College visited Westminster this Monday (18 July) where they toured both Houses of Parliament and enjoyed a lunch and Q&A session with West Worcestershire MP Harriet Baldwin.
The students heard from Ms Baldwin about her experiences in Parliament since becoming an MP in the 2010 General Election. They then had the opportunity to ask her questions which covered a variety of topics including public sector cuts and university tuition fees.
In March of this year all the students took part in the Debating Competition which was founded in 2003 by Andrew Mitchell MP. To complete their debating experience, the students were able to sit in the Public Gallery of the House of Commons where MPs were debating Work and Pensions issues.
The whole day was sponsored by Birmingham Metropolitan College and jointly organised by Andrew Mitchell MP and the 2011 host school – the Arthur Terry School.
Andrew Mitchell MP said, “It is always a pleasure to have the Debating Competition students down to Parliament. I hope it gave them a useful insight into how debates are conducted in the House of Commons.
“Huge thanks must go to Birmingham Metropolitan College – without whose continued sponsorship these visits would not be possible – as well as the Arthur Terry School and Harriet Baldwin MP.”